The Twisted Curse
by PilgrimDragon
Summary: Sarah had always assumed that her time in the Labyrinth was unique to her. She never recalled Hoggle saying 'Oh, it's you', or that he recognised her name, or even wondered as to the other goblin's identities. Alice is going to change all of that. Soon the Labyrinth's truth will be revealed and everything Sarah knew about Jareth will be twisted beyond recognition.
1. Prologue

Alice watched the dark-haired young woman from across the coffee shop. She knew her, as far as she was concerned, everyone should know her. Alice bit her lip and pressed her palms into the table, wondering how to approach her, wondering what would make her introduction so memorable that the young woman would want to contact her again. Her breath caught as the other stood, swinging a Cambridge satchel over her shoulder as she scooped up a set of notebooks and pens. If she wanted to introduce herself, it needed to be now.

Swallowing her fear, she rose quickly and danced past the few tables between them, arriving at the door at the same time. Quickly she grasped hold of the handle and held it open for the young woman to walk through. She got a smile for her efforts but was as quickly forgotten. It was now or never. "Hi, my name's Alice," she offered her hand quickly, following the brunette through the door and onto the snow blasted streets of London.

"Oh, hi, er… nice to meet you?"

"You're Sarah, right? Sarah Williams?" Alice continued, her heart in her throat, making it hard to think… hard to breathe. This was real, it was really happening.

"Um, yeah. How do you…?"

"Know you? I've read your books, all of them. I went to the symposium you spoke at for fantasy writers last year. I'm taking English Literature at the university, down… wait!" Alice called out as Sarah turned away, walking as fast as she could away from her. She saw her chance disappearing rapidly. "I'm not, I'm not like that," she jogged after her. Sarah turned a corner and Alice followed.

"Please, just leave me alone," Sarah whispered as Alice grabbed her shoulder carefully.

"I'm not like that, I'm not… just look," she scrabbled with her backpack and pulled a sheaf of papers loose. "Please," her fingers darted through the pages, searching for the one that would change everything. At least, she hoped it would. "I don't want help with an assignment, to criticise anything you've written or to submit a draft for a book or anything like that…"

Finally, she found the page and carefully pulled it free. Sarah had paused now, curiosity winning out despite her furtive glances at her. Silently Alice turned it around and held it out to her. The world itself seemed to grow still around them. Nothing could be heard outside of the bubble that now seemed to surround them. Sarah reached for the page, wide eyed, and took it from Alice shakily. "How did you? I never told anyone about…"

"I've been there," Alice sighed. "I've seen him, I've spoken with him and I need your help," she pulled another sheet free. "This is my brother."

Sarah took the next page from her and glanced between them. She knew it was a shock, to see the Goblin King and a goblin in pencil and watercolour. That his eyes were correct even though Sarah had never described them being different colours in any of her works. That the goblin was one she had described but had left out the detail of the scar across his eye. They were drawn perfectly, the Goblin King seeming to loom out of the page, only his eyes in colour. It was what Alice remembered the most vividly. So, she waited, patiently, for Sarah to come to terms with what she was seeing. The truth clearly replicated. "He was turned into… a goblin?" Sarah whispered before placing the two sheets together with a heavy sigh and handing them back out to her.

"I didn't defeat him. Not because I wasn't able to, because I chose not to," Alice whispered, taking the papers back.

"I can't help you," Sarah shifted the strap of her satchel on her shoulder and met her gaze uncomfortably.

"I need to get him back. I need to go back to the Labyrinth," Alice tucked the sheets back into her pile. "I need you to come with me, you're the only one that I know of who has defeated him."

"What do you mean the only one that you know of?" Sarah demanded suspiciously.

"I know you think you were the only one that ever went into that Labyrinth. I did too until he gave me the sight…" Alice trailed off. "I can see the stain magic paints on us, you and I, the others. The Labyrinth leaves its own stain, it's completely unique. Some of them remember, like us, but think they are also unique, that it's just a dream… or a fairy-tale they heard when they were younger. They think your books are those fairy-tales reincarnated, not memories. Others, they remember nothing."

Sarah shuffled uncomfortably in front of her, causing her to pause. Was she thinking she had lost her mind? It wouldn't be the first time that someone had thought that. Alice swallowed nervously, she needed her to believe her.

"I know you still have contact with Hoggle, that he can summon a portal between our worlds," Alice trailed off as Sarah began to shake her head. She'd said too much, expected too much of her. "At least think about it, please! Here, this is my number."

Quickly she tore a strip of paper from one of the pages and scribbled her number down. Handing it to Sarah with one last begging glance. She took it but would no longer meet Alice's eyes. Without another word she turned and walked away, Alice watched her go, biting her lip with nervous energy. There was no point in chasing her, she had done all she could, she'd might have even done too much. A chill wind ruffled under her coat and bit her legs through her tights, hurriedly she tucked the papers back into the backpack. Her flat wasn't too far away and the weather was turning rapidly. She glanced at the heavy clouds over the townhouses, snow was coming. Shouldering the backpack, she turned to walk back to her flat, her shoulder smacking into the chest of someone hurrying in the other direction. She muttered an apology and headed home.

* * *

"Where have you been? Didn't you hear the news? There's a storm on the way, here, look at this," Ashley slapped the paper down on the kitchen table as Alice dropped her backpack onto the floor in the hallway.

"I told you, I had to go to the coffee shop," Alice called through, struggling with her scarf.

"Yeah, I know. After that Sarah author again, what's she called? Sarah Williams?" Ashley snapped in frustration. "So, how did it go, did you meet your heroine?"

"Yes, and it could have gone better," Alice muttered walking through to the kitchen and turning the paper round. Ashley tapped a manicured fingernail next to the article she wanted her to read.

"Gone better… what, you told her that you spent five years in an asylum, and she ran screaming?" Ashley snorted.

Alice glared at her before dropping into a chair and focusing in on the newspaper article more intently. It would help with their assignment on the use of language to induce terror and misconceptions in the 'masses'. Ignoring Ashely's continued mutterings, she cut the article out in silence.

"You know, if you weren't so smart, I'd have asked to change roommates years ago," Ashley sighed, in a tortured way, forcing Alice to look at her once more.

"I'd still have helped you, even if we didn't share a flat," she stated calmly. Resting her chin on her palm as she looked at her 'friend'. "After you told everyone about my 'illness' it's proven almost impossible to talk to anyone, never mind make an actual friend. It's just a shame that it labelled you the FFF… 'freaks freaky friend'."

Alice smiled in a falsely sweet way before folding up the paper and placing it to one side, she pushed the cutting towards. Ashley muttered in agreement and took the cutting to the fridge, pinning it in place with an aggressive smack of a magnet. Alice smiled slightly, for all her grumbling there was no one either would prefer to be around. With a shiver she wandered over to the toaster and dropped in two slices of whole grain and two slices of white. Behind her Ashley gave a world-weary sigh before wandering into the living room to watch one of her inane programmes about random people falling in love. By the time the toaster had popped Alice had made two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and rescued the chocolate spread from the freezer. She may have been the one to go to the asylum, but she was amazed that Ashley was even alive sometimes.

Precariously balancing two plates and two mugs she made her way into the living room and handed a set to the other young woman. A grunt of thanks greeted her as she flopped onto the other end of the sofa. "Oh my god, you put peanut butter on as well!" Ashley exclaimed in delight, spraying crumbs everywhere in her urgency to speak.

"I also rescued the chocolate spread from the freezer," Alice muttered through her own toast.

"You know I love you really, you're just weird," Ashley crunched through the words. Alice glanced across at her.

"I know," she tucked her feet under her and turned her attention to the TV. "Weird is relative," Alice and Ashley tipped their heads sideways in confused unison as the latest addition to the TV 'house' introduced himself.


	2. Chapter 1

Alice wrapped her fingers about the mug of hot chocolate and blew some of the steam absently. Her eyes were on the people wandering the streets below. Snow had fallen, thick and fast, overnight and now blanketed the streets. Class had been cancelled for the day, much to Ashley's joy. She'd heard the cry of success from her roommate's bedroom followed swiftly by renewed snores. Alice was too nervous to go back to sleep, she was waiting for a text, anything, from Sarah. Yesterday felt like a weird dream, not quite real but not lost in fantasy. The thought had crossed her mind that she'd hallucinated it, but she'd banished the thought quickly. She'd spent far too many hours of her youth being told that everything she had seen had been nothing more than a hallucination. A man slipped on the crushed snow outside, grabbing his partner and causing them to both tumble into a mess of limbs and snow spray. They laughed together and Alice smiled despite herself.

Her phone pinged and she almost dropped the hot drink in her haste to see the message.

'Your appointment has been rescheduled to 10:00am today.'

She glanced at her watch; it was only eight in the morning. There was still time. With a content sigh she pulled her duvet about her shoulders and sipped at her drink with delight. Early mornings were one of her favourite things, to wake with the dawn and watch the world change from silent slumber to bustling chaos only to fade back to silence once more. Anything was better than sleep though. Sleep brought dreams and dreams merged so easily with reality and what felt like memories. They couldn't be though; they were far too fantastical. She reached under her pillow, pulling free a dog eared and well-loved copy of Sarah's rendition of the Labyrinth story. The pages fell open on the ballroom dream and she started reading despite herself, losing herself in the story once more. The sparkling dress, the courtiers, the dancing, the glamour of the room and the feeling of her heart in her throat in anticipation. Anticipation of what, she still didn't know. She'd dreamt of that 'room', of those faces, long before she'd read the book. Even in her memory of the Labyrinth, she'd never been in that room during her adventure there but the second she had read Sarah's recollection she could see it in her mind's eye. As clear as if she had been stood there herself.

It was all so familiar and yet so different, the whole tale. She closed the book, pressing her palm into the cover as if she could absorb it through her skin. It was time to get moving, she needed a shower and to get her things together before making the walk. Her therapist was a stickler for time keeping and snow would not be a good enough excuse.

Sarah stretched lazily, relishing the heat of her bed for one last moment. She'd dreamt of being home, in her bedroom in her dad's house, far from London and its sudden blast of cold weather. It had been a long time since she'd dreamt of her old room. Her eyes were drawn to the clock at her bedside, the clock arms waved to an eight and a twelve. It was early still but there was an unnatural glow in the room, as if someone had left a light on outside. Drawing a silk dressing gown about herself she tied a knot and went to peek out at the world from behind her curtains. Snow met her eyes, glaringly bright in the early morning sun. It was too early in the year for snow, surely?

With a resigned sigh she headed for the small kitchen. Everything was solved with coffee and right now, she was desperate for a large steaming mug with a touch of cream. Rubbing the back of her neck she padded through and tapped the kettle on before heading to the cupboard hiding the mugs. She didn't need to think through how to make a coffee, it was sleep deprived habit, driven in over the years of study, failed acting calls and late-night traumas while she contemplated her life. Her fingers brushed against a piece of paper and she frowned. She hadn't left any important papers in her kitchen after the great coffee debacle of '92 where she'd succeeded in drowning her thesis in a single clumsy move. It had taken hours to transcribe her work.

Numbers met her eyes and a scrawled name 'Alice'. So, it had been real then. She'd tried to put the memory aside, cast it off as nothing more than a bad dream. Pouring the freshly boiled water over the instant coffee she stirred it absently. Turning the page over there was nothing else there, the tip of a drawing but no more clues. With a thoughtful sigh she dropped down onto the kitchen chair, placing the mug carefully after a sip to test the temperature. Still too hot.

Alice had mentioned having been there, that she'd seen him, that she'd lost to him. More worryingly she'd mentioned others that had done the same, seen the same. How many had Jareth dragged into his realm? How many of those goblins were babies that hadn't been rescued? Her thoughts ran rampant. Was there a way to rescue them? Would Hoggle still come if she called? It had been so long. He had promised though, they all had. If she ever needed them. She sighed in frustration and dropped the paper to the table before running a hand through her hair.

This was ridiculous. It was a dream at best and a reality that only she had entered at worst. She had won, Toby was at home, no other child, no human other than them had been in the Labyrinth. It was doubtful that Toby had even been there. Her mobile buzzed in the other room, drawing her back to the real world and away from her thoughts and the growing pile of questions. She headed back through and pressed a button to light up the screen. It was her publisher, this was early, even for him. Even so, she figured she'd best answer.

"Hello?"

"Oh Sarah, darling, you're awake. Wonderful," the bubbly voice of Craig echoed down the line.

"Is everything ok?" Sarah frowned; she'd caught the slight inflection in his voice that suggested all was not as it should be.

"Hmmm? Oh yes, well… yes, no, it's all good really. I was just giving you a quick call to see if you were up for a publicity tour. We've had a couple of requests from universities to see if you'd do a couple of seminars or workshops with them?" Craig finished his sentence with an annoyingly high tone that suggested she couldn't really say no.

"Um, yeah. Which universities? Will they cover travel?" Sarah nodded, reaching to pull her diary from her hastily abandoned satchel, tossed carelessly to the bottom of her bed.

"No need for travel, they're both based in London. Part of some sort of fantasy and sci-fi writers' conventions," Craig trailed off. "It's been arranged by some student of theirs, Alice… something. They must have forgotten her surname. Anyway…"

"Alice? Are you sure?" Sarah interjected urgently.

"Yes, darling, Alice. Like in Wonderland, that kind of Alice. Apparently, she's arranged the entire convention and even created a list of topics for you and all the other authors. Even managed to secure funding to pay you for your time," Craig paused at Sarah's intake of breath. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, just… no, it's all fine. What are the topics?" Sarah sank onto the bed. Apparently, her stalker hadn't trusted her to get back in touch via mobile.

"Well, that's where we have a sticking point darling. It's the usual ones, prose, style, pacing, character development and all that. The last one though… an evening with Sarah, where she introduces her latest work," Craig left the last three words hanging on the line.

Sarah felt her breath catch. There was nothing pending, there were no current works in progress. Her last book had launched two years ago, and she'd announced a gap from writing for the foreseeable future. Instead she'd taken to teaching, wherever there was work, she never stayed in one place too long. What was this Alice thinking? Why had Craig rung her about this offer? He knew how she felt about writing. Her inspiration and desire to write stories had died when she'd typed the last full stop on her last book. Everything had crashed down around her, the world in her imagination had gone dark. There were no more stories to tell. She'd told him as such, she wanted to go into teaching and helping others express their words and to no longer field questions about new works. Why had he broken that promise now?

"Sarah, is there something you want to tell me?" Craig's voice broke through the shattered thoughts.

"I don't have anything Craig. I told you," Sarah paused, there was a glimmer that hadn't been there for years. A small crack in the darkness. "Craig, can I call you back? Sign me up for the series and all of the topics."

"Sarah, I…" he never got to finish his sentence as Sarah hung up the phone and hurried to get a shower and freshen up.


	3. Chapter 2

Alice sat nervously in the waiting room. To her right a man nibbled at the ends of his fingers and glanced around worriedly. To her left, a mother cradled her teary daughter to her, an arm wrapped protectively about her shoulders. Between them, Alice pressed her nails into her palms. It had been over a decade since she'd seen her own mother, she'd only come to the hospital twice. The second had been to say goodbye before signing her over to social services. She'd tried to ring her once, but neither of them had really known what to say to the other and it had just turned into another painful goodbye. The receptionist made her way over, an arm full of clipboards. With a vague smile at each client she handed them a pen and clipboard. Alice took hers and glanced down at the now familiar questions.

'How often do you find yourself somewhere you don't remember getting to?'

She sighed despite herself. It was easy to answer these questions now, you just went for the 'right' answer, the one that you were supposed to select if you were 'normal'. The one that society demanded of you. Every time her red pen circled the most accurate response. It didn't matter what she thought, she couldn't lie, for whatever reason the gods had decided on when they'd cursed her to this life. Resignedly she clipped the pen on to the clipboard and hugged it to her chest as the man to her right leaned over to see what her answers were. This was hardly a quiz you wanted to cheat on she thought absently as she looked at him. He smiled, lopsided, before circling an answer in his green pen.

"Alice?" the familiar voice called out.

A hand resting on the door, a wicked smile on his lips and his familiar black suit with the white flower cufflinks. Ly, her therapist, short for Lysander, Lysander Thorne. She had just had to ask when she was first assigned to him. Why on earth would a therapist have name that was pronounced 'Lie'? That first session she had laughed honestly for the first time in years. She'd lost count of how many she'd had since.

"Clipboard? Ah, wonderful, red today!" He took the board from her and flicked through the answers quickly, making whatever mental notes he needed for the session as they walked towards his therapy room.

Silently he held the door open for her, his eyes still on the 'quiz'. Alice wandered through, dropping into the comfortable 'Sherlock' chair in the corner of the room. There were no 'lounging' chairs here, or bean bags. He had offered to bring one through but argued he found them 'terribly cliched'. Alice was inclined to agree, instead there was an odd collection of padded and unpadded chairs in a variety of shapes. Sometimes she favoured the wooden rocking chair, other times the pink button down. Mostly, she loved the emerald green 'Sherlock' and Ly would take the leather short back. He liked to sit diagonally, with one impossibly long thin leg thrown over the other as he slouched casually and made his notes in a leather-bound journal.

"So, Alice, how's your week been?" Ly declared, draping one leg over the other as he predictably slouched into the leather.

"I managed to finish arranging the writer's festival and got funding secured for the authors since we last spoke," Alice smiled proudly.

"Marvellous, and how does that make you feel?" Ly scribbled something quickly before locking eyes with her.

"Erm, proud I guess?"

"You've done such an amazing job in such a short time you absolutely should feel proud of yourself. Does that make you feel happy as well?"

"Yeah, I mean I'm glad it's going well and that everything's working out like you helped me to plan…"

"No, no. You planned this, I merely helped to provide you with the tools and the coping strategies, this was all you," Ly scribbled more down furiously before pausing and squinting at her. "Is something bothering you Alice?"

Alice looked at him calmly. Should she tell him about Sarah? It was not in the plans that they had discussed, to approach the author's in person. She wasn't exactly proud to tell him how she had 'stalked' her daily routine from talking with local coffee shops and contacting her publisher.

"I asked Sarah Williams, the author of those books I told you about… I asked her in person," Alice whispered, looking down at her entwined fingers as she bit her lip nervously.

Lysander unfolded his long legs as he snapped the journal closed. Slowly, he leaned forwards to look at her. His eyes were a piercing blue, they seemed to go down into her very core. She withdrew slightly at the intensity of his gaze. "How did that go?" he whispered, silky smooth and with no clues as to what he expected for an answer.

"It went ok, I think. I told her about my dreams and that her book had helped me to understand them," Alice picked at the hole in her jeans. "I gave her my number as she didn't seem too keen at first."

"No, I don't suppose she would," Ly whispered, leaning back again and opening the journal once more. He turned his gaze from her and back onto the pages as he scribbled a couple more words. "Some people can be terribly dismissive. How did that meeting make you feel?"

"Like I was alive," Alice blurted out before she could stop herself, causing Ly's eyebrow to raise slightly. "I mean, it was like my dreams made sense with her around," Alice's words failed as he frowned slightly at her and pursed his lips.

"Alice, we've been through this, your dreams are just your subconscious talking to you. They have a real meaning, but they don't exist in this realm," he smiled with a slight pout. "How are your dreams?"

"They still feel real," Alice whispered. "I know they're not, they just… they always feel like memories."

"Our dreams have a way of ensaring us, let's talk about them. Perhaps we can get down to their true meaning."

A bleep of a text rang from her backpack as Alice began to recall the dream from last night. She apologised profusely as Ly raised a disapproving eyebrow at her and motioned for her to answer it and then turn it off. He hated technology. Quickly she pulled the phone out and glanced down at the screen. Hastily she typed a reply, feeling her cheeks colour and start to burn with embarrassment. She thrust the phone rapidly back into her bag.

"Anything important?"

"Not really," Alice grinned despite herself before schooling her expression into neutral calmness. She might be unable to lie but she could twist her words.

Sarah sipped at her coffee; her hair wrapped in a towel turban as she sat staring at her laptop screen. The word processing screen glared brightly back at her. Her right hand hovered over the keys. They were tingling, like they had when she used to write before, before all her inspiration had gone. Words, scenes and sentences were floating in her brain, shrouded behind a gossamer curtain, finer than a fairy's wing but just as concealing. It was there, the next step, the next tale in her saga. As always, it was just out of reach as if was pending, waiting approval before it was released to the world.

"Come on brain, if there's ever a time for you to engage, this is it," she whispered to herself as she downed a bigger mouthful of coffee.

Next to her left hand her mobile buzzed again, another message from Craig. He wanted to know why she wasn't answering, what she was writing, if he needed to prep a release schedule. She frowned and turned the phone over, not wanting to see the glare of the screen. It was distracting her, her writing was from the earth, technology was not going to help her. Her fingers rested on the keypad and registered the thrum of the laptop's fan as it silently hummed away, keeping the interior cool. Perhaps that was the issue.

All her previous books had been written with an ink pen and on paper, she hadn't touched anything electronic. She leaned back, watching the little line on the screen blink in and out of existence, waiting patiently for her failing inspiration to take root. It was there, she could feel it, at the back of her eyes and on the tip of her tongue. Annoyed she closed the laptop screen and finished her coffee with a disgruntled 'humph'. Her eyes landed on the phone again, and the piece of paper. Perhaps talking to her, the strange girl from the coffee shop, would help to freshen her up?

She reached for her phone and began to type in the number and a rough message. Each one sounded too familiar, or too formal. She cursed herself mentally for overthinking this and settled on a simple message.

'Coffee at 2? Sarah'

'How about 1? I'll buy the cake!'

The reply came through almost instantly. Neither needed to ask which coffee shop. It was obvious that the only fitting place to meet was where they had encountered each other yesterday. Sarah rose, rubbing at her hair with the towel as she placed the coffee cup in the sink. She needed to find her old writing journals and pens before the meeting. Just in case her inspiration hit. It would be ironic if the other woman ended up being her muse, she smiled slightly. If it meant success in the writing world again then she would take whatever the other could give.


	4. Chapter 3

Sarah dropped her bag and slid into the chair opposite the younger woman, giving her a gentle smile in greeting. Alice tucked a lock of hair behind her ear nervously, Sarah wondered briefly why she was nervous before dismissing the thought.

"Latte and cake?" Alice queried after clearing her throat. Sarah smiled and nodded gratefully. She went to retrieve her purse but by the time she had pulled it free from her bag Alice had already gone to the till.

She watched her silently, she moved with a nervous twitch, but there were fleeting moments of confidence and elegance interspersed. Sarah pulled her notebook free and quickly drew a simple sketch, trying to get the essence of the 'character' before her down. There was something there, she could feel it, there was a story around this girl, a story that was somehow also hers. A plate and mug landed on the table in front of her, causing her to jump. She'd been getting lost in the sketch, in the thoughts and memories. Carefully she started to close the notebook, but Alice had already seen. Bright green eyes locked with hers curiously, but she didn't say anything as she slid into the seat opposite her, the backpack resting against her leg. Silently Alice sat, watching Sarah as intently as Sarah had watched her moments ago. Sarah let the notebook flop open on the table between them, a rough pencil sketch of Alice looking at cakes glared up between them.

"My publisher contacted me this morning. He said you'd arranged a writers festival and wanted me to be there," Alice nodded to Sarah's implied question of his authenticity. "He also said you wanted me to talk about my latest works." Sarah leaned forwards, resting her elbows on the table and searching the younger woman's eyes intently. "What works?"

Alice shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze and dropped her attention to the cake slice before her. Sarah watched as she picked at the sponge with a cake fork and thought about her response. She waited patiently, taking a sip of the latte, careful not to smudge her lipstick.

"I hoped that you would get back in touch. When you did, I hoped it would be because I had told you about the others. If you were the only one to beat the Labyrinth then… there's more than one story, more than one memory," Alice stated calmly, still staring at her cake and sucking crumbs off her fork.

"If I'm the only one that bested the Labyrinth then stories of how others have failed isn't going to add to my stories. People want hope, not a repetition of bad events," Sarah responded with a sigh of disappointment. Perhaps she'd been wrong about the story, perhaps this was nothing more than a desperate desire to restart a stalled career. It was still there though, there was still a glimmer in her mind and even her heart felt like it was in the right place.

"How do you know that you're the only one?" Sarah glared at Alice despite herself. "Sarah, did you never wonder why Jareth took your brother?" Alice placed the fork down and met her gaze straight on. Any sign of nervousness or apprehension was gone, the look that now met Sarah was one entirely different and entirely familiar. Full of confidence and bravado, not even an inkling of doubt. Her mind trailed back to Alice's question.

"Why he…?" Sarah drifted off, it was her turn to look away, seeking room to think. She studied her hands, laying them in her lap and staring, without seeing, at her fingers. She'd never wondered why. She'd always been more consumed with the fact that he had and how to retrieve Toby.

"Why is he taking so many children, so many young girls?" Alice took a sip of her hot chocolate.

"No doubt it's just some faerie reason," Sarah sighed and closed her notebook. "You must know of all the faerie lore out there. All those faeries seeking a human bride for their own reasons."

"Of course, but what if he's looking for something, or rather for someone? A particular someone," Alice paused for a deliberate effect causing Sarah to look away once more, uncomfortable. Perhaps this had been a bad idea. There wasn't a story here… but still… was there? Why had he taken Toby? Why had he answered her plea? All those critics had said there was a great moral to the story, that of a young girl growing up and accepting responsibility. She'd never had reason to consider it as anything more than a lesson in a dream. "When you first met Hoggle, he asked your name. You told him Sarah and he said, 'That's what I thought.'".

Sarah scowled and sat a little straighter, she hadn't written that in the book. How did she know he had said that? Why hadn't she thought more about that comment? How could Hoggle have thought that? Why had she felt the need to leave that out of the book…? Alice was watching her with a faint smile. "How?" Sarah whispered.

"I told you, I've been there," Alice repeated calmly. "You want your next story, it's his. It's the Goblin Kings'."

Sarah shook her head. There were so many thoughts spinning through her mind, the points that Alice had raised, the fact that she knew so much about her story. Was it real? Was Jareth real? Why had he taken Toby? If this wasn't all a dream, a world of her own making, then why was he doing what he was doing? How many others had he done this to? Alice had said that she could see them, but how many was 'them'? Were all the goblins human children that their siblings had failed to rescue? Could the curse be reversed, and the children rescued? Were there other Sarah's? Why had Hoggle said that?

Her heart was beating too fast, the veil was starting to lift, just a little and she could see the story's beginning. Sarah studied Alice and frowned. "If he knew my name was Sarah and he asked you the same question he wouldn't have said the same thing to you. Therefore, you couldn't have known that comment. Your name is Alice. Does that mean it's more than one name he's after? Or, are you a fraud?"

Alice licked some buttercream from her finger and shook her head. "My name's not Alice. I was named Sarah Alice Doe. I was left at an orphanage soon after I was born. Any child that came to them without a name was always named Sarah first and then called by their middle name. They thought it would make as all feel connected, like a family, kind of thing. So, I'm Alice, but not Alice."

"An orphanage?" Sarah leaned forwards to become more involved in a story she hoped would pour from Alice's lips. The girl shifted uncomfortably; she clearly hadn't anticipated telling her about her past.

"Yes, they found me on the steps one morning, just wrapped in a blanket and nothing else. No name, no identity, nothing. I don't know my real parents, they tried to find them but there was too little to go on. When I was two or three, I was fostered and then adopted. My parents had a child of their own a few years later, a boy called Jacob. Everything was fine, I was loved and cared for, but Jacob would tease me sometimes. He could be cruel when he wanted to be, tell me that I wasn't as loved as he was because I wasn't their real child. The night the Goblin King came I was looking after him while my parents went to the theatre and he was upset so he'd been taunting me ruthlessly for most of the evening. I read the play, the Labyrinth, and I said the words. He came and took Jacob away," Alice finished her hot chocolate and put the mug onto the empty plate.

"So, Jacob? Did you not at least try to rescue him?" Sarah urged.

"Yes, I went into the Labyrinth. I started walking through the maze, like you did and landed in an oubliette. Hoggle took me back to the beginning and Jareth was waiting for me. He offered me a crystal ball, that would grant me a wish. Anything I wanted; I could have. I wished for the fae sight. So, I could see all the fae and goblins in our world when I came back. I didn't even think to ask about Jacob, I just assumed that I would be able to continue with what time I had left. I didn't realise it was a trade-off, the sight for him," Alice sighed heavily. "When I woke up in my bedroom… Jacob was gone."

"You never saw him again?" Sarah whispered, feeling the pain that would have been hers if she hadn't rescued Toby in time.

"Once," Alice pulled a crystal ball from her backpack and held it up for Sarah to see. Sarah frowned at it, it was dark, a swirling mist, nothing like the transparent crystal balls that Jareth had swirled so easily between his fingers. She reached out to touch it and gasped as her fingers almost froze at the touch. Alice smiled faintly and dropped it back into her rucksack. "It used to show him all the time, a few years ago, it just went dark. I don't know why."

"So, what do you think I can do?" Sarah opened her notebook slowly and doodled on the page while her mind ran in circles.

"You beat him, beat the Labyrinth. If it can be done once, then surely it can be done again. This time, you ask him to stop what he's doing."

"Ask him to stop?" Sarah scoffed despite herself and slammed the notebook shut again. "You said you've met him; how do you propose we get him to stop? He can change time!"

"You once said, 'You have no power over me' to him. He can't lie and you're a master of words. Make a pact that he can't escape from, stop him from taking children and breaking up families," Alice whispered urgently.

"He'll want something in return, a gamble or a trade, for if I lose," Sarah pointed out.

"You," Alice finished.


	5. Chapter 4

"What could possible be more enticing to him?" Alice whispered, her enthusiasm growing as Sarah looked increasingly uncomfortable. "You defeated him, this would give him a chance to redeem himself and his powers."

"I'm not some… 'thing' that can be traded," Sarah hissed, smiling at the man at the table opposite who had started to scowl at the more aggressive tone to her voice. "I'm a human being, I have a life here."

"You said he wanted you to love him," Alice continued, ignoring the man, her whole attention on Sarah.

"Yes, and fear him, which to a degree I do," Sarah snapped. "I need another coffee."

Alice watched silently as Sarah left the table and headed to the counter. She could see her contemplating the options, weighing the pros and cons to what Alice had said. This was her only chance, she needed Sarah to be on board. There was only one way back to the Labyrinth and that was through the one thing that Jareth wanted more than anything. By the time Sarah came back to the table, a fresh cup of coffee in her hands, Alice had settled on staying silent until she was ready to speak. Moments passed painfully, she wanted to talk. Wanted to tell her that this needed to be done. How could she not see that this was necessary?

"If I agreed to this proposed, potential trade and to write this pact, what do you see happening?" Sarah finally broke the silence, resting her cup on the table once more.

"We'll go to the Labyrinth, you will take on the Goblin King and I will find Jacob," Alice replied calmly as she watched Sarah reach into her satchel for a different notebook.

The pages flopped open, they were worn, and the leather cover was dog eared and tattered. The paper inside was covered with words, large, small, cursive and straight. In places there were large sections scribbled out and in others swathes of colour where a highlighter had soaked in. Alice leaned forwards to look at the original script of Sarah's Labyrinth, a tingling sense of awe consumed her at being so close to the original writings. Noticing Sarah's discomfort at her intensity she leaned back into her seat with an apologetic smile.

"We won't be going to the Labyrinth. I don't know if it's even possible to go back," Sarah sighed wistfully, her eyes on the blank page and the tip of her pencil.

"Well of course it is, he's still coming to our world. I've seen people younger than you with the stain on their aura's. I'm younger than you. Which all means that he's still searching, therefore, the doorway is still open between our worlds," Alice stated calmly, locking her fingers together to prevent her from reaching for the book. How her fingers itched to just touch it though. The confirmation that she wasn't insane, the physical representation that others had seen what she had seen. That she hadn't lied about Jacob's disappearance.

"How do you see them?" Sarah queried, the tip of her pencil just brushing the page.

"They have a dark aura, like the one in my crystal," Alice stated calmly. She understood Sarah's concern, the glimmer of fear in her eye. "Except you, yours is more silver."

Sarah scrawled a note down, her lips pursed in thought. Alice waited patiently as the note grew into a sentence, and then another and then a paragraph until the pencil was flying over the page. Whatever had inspired Sarah had taken hold, the words poured freely from her mind onto the page. Alice wanted to lean forwards, see what was taking shape but she also didn't want to distract her or break the train of thought. Like a wild thing Sarah hunted through her thoughts and scrawled them into sense on the page that soon became pages. Twice Alice left her to bring a fresh cup of coffee and a slice of cake as the light outside began to fade into night. The days were so short now, winter had well and truly claimed the world outside the steamy, coffee scented warmth of the café.

Alice rested her chin on her palm as she leaned against the arm of the chair, her eye lids drooping slightly with the desire to sleep. It was getting late; she couldn't even remember what day it was anymore. Had she seen Ly this morning? Or had it been yesterday? Time was blurring as her eyes kept slipping closed. Minutes or hours passed, but they no longer seemed to matter. There was a path before her feet, a pattern of familiar rough-hewn stone, paved into a chaotic path. It was just beyond her reach, just beyond her senses but so close she could almost smell the dying moss on the stone walls.

An angry buzz screeched from her backpack. It startled both women, Alice almost falling off her chair and Sarah dropping her pencil. The lead point shattering on impact with the tiled floor of the café. They looked at each other, both dazed and not quite in this world. Alice shook her head and reached for the pencil at the same time as Sarah. Their fingers touched briefly, Sarah gasped, pulling away from her touch. "You're so cold," she whispered.

"Sorry, I struggle in winter. I can never seem to get warm no matter what I do. Here," Alice offered the pencil to her.

Sarah took it gently, careful not to touch her fingers again. Alice smiled apologetically and reached into her backpack to retrieve the phone while Sarah began to pack away her notebooks into her satchel. 'Where are you? It's movie night!' Ashley's frustrated words glared up at her from the glowing screen of the phone. Alice glanced at the time on the screen and blinked in disbelief. She looked up at the clock on the café wall for confirmation, but it was right, it was almost six 'o' clock. They'd been here for hours that had felt no longer than minutes. The coffee shop should have closed at least an hour ago but for whatever reason they hadn't been kicked out. Alice glanced across at the kindly lady behind the till, she smiled faintly and lowered her book. She'd been reading Sarah's first instalment in her Labyrinth stories.

"Um, Sarah, we need to leave. It's really late," Alice whispered, dropping her phone back into her backpack. She glanced outside; snow was falling steadily. It glowed eerily in the fluorescent streetlights and blurred through the condensation building on the window. Alice turned back to Sarah, she still looked dazed. Her cheeks were pale rather than their usual gentle hue of pink and her eyes were almost hollow. Sarah looked up at her, her eyes glazed, seeing but not quite seeing as if she was looking through a frosted window. "Are you ok? Do you want to stay at mine tonight? I can sleep on the sofa?"

"No, no. I need to go home. I need to think and write," Sarah muttered, slowly coming back to herself as she buckled the last strap on her satchel.

"Tomorrow?" Alice called as Sarah power walked past her, not hearing or hearing but choosing not to respond. She must have gone deep into her thoughts while writing to be so disconnected from the world.

"Don't worry dear, she comes in here like clockwork. Tomorrow at 4pm, she'll be back," the café owner declared assuredly from behind her counter, turning a page and continuing to read.

"Thanks, sorry we were in here so late," Alice headed for the door and straightened her coat against the anticipated chill. She stepped into the snow with a shiver, the cold bit at her face viciously and nipped at her gloved fingers. Cold was not her favourite weather element, but snow was her most hated, it always felt like deaths mantle covering the earth, choking it and freezing it into submission. Two steps from the door and she paused to look at the railing outside the café window. Footprints, from a bird, were imprinted in the powdery snow covering. She glanced inside, it would have been looking straight at where she and Sarah had sat only moments ago. A shiver went down her spine and she headed for home, making a mental note to go to the shops and pick up some wine and chocolates to appease Ashley for being late.

Less than an hour after the text Alice was home, her key clicked into the lock only for the door handle, and her keys, still trapped in the lock, to be ripped from her grasp. She gasped despite herself as Ashley stood before her with her arms raised and a bright green face. Alice couldn't help herself and burst out laughing at the sight of her roommate in the facemask, a towel about her hair, fluffy dressing gown and rabbit slippers. Apart from the glare on her face, that was starting to crack the facemask, she looked ridiculously funny. Alice held out the half opened chocolate bar and walked past her, dropping the shopping bag on the side. The chocolate bar snapped angrily behind her followed by the door slamming shut, angry chomping and furious stomping of rabbit slippers into the living room. Finally, an annoyed humph issued out followed by the familiar buzz of a television turning on.

"You know I'm supposed to report to Ly when you're late in," Ashely shouted as she stuffed more chocolate in her mouth.

"That's why I brought wine," Alice grinned, popping the cork and filling a glass with a smile.

"Wine?"

"You're favourite too. Even better, it was on offer," Alice balanced the glass carefully on a small tray with the bottle and a bowl of chocolate buttons. With a theatrical flourish she carried it through and slid it onto the coffee table next to Ashley's feet. "My queen," she whispered with a grin.

"Oh, shut up. Come on, it's starting," Ashley nudged her with a foot and smiled despite herself. Alice laughed before retrieving her own glass and dropping onto the sofa next to her. "So, you know Ly, is he single?"


	6. Chapter 5

"Ashley… I am not setting you up with my therapist," Alice sipped at her glass and pushed her feet under Ashley's legs to warm them up. Ashley pulled the fleece from the back of the sofa and helped cover the rest of her legs.

"You know, I could be like your step-therapist…" Ashley started, the girls met each other's eyes and burst into laughter.

Time passed easily, the movie requiring no concentration except for when the lead man stripped down to just his pants. At which point Ashley devolved into a high school girl, calling at the screen to remove the rest while downing a large portion of the wine. By the time the credits were rolling she was fast asleep, her head on a folded arm, legs knotted with Alice's and an empty wine glass rolling threateningly out of her fingers. Alice smiled, rescuing the glass and placing it safely on the coffee table before cleaning up. She headed into Ashley's room and brought her duvet through, tucking her in carefully before retreating to her own bedroom. Pulling her hair out of the messy bun she walked towards the window, intending to pull the curtains closed. She glanced up, feeling eyes resting on her and screamed at the sight of a large barn owl outside the window. The sound sent it flying off in a rushed flutter of wings.

"Where is he?" Ashley screamed, slamming the bedroom door open and wielding the handheld hoover as if it was a sword. Alice gasped for breath, hands pressed to her throat as she glanced between the window and Ashley before starting to laugh at the scene before her. "Are you ok?"

Ashley dropped the hoover on Alice's bed and ran her fingers over her face, brushing hair away and smearing Alice's face with the green facemask that was now everywhere. "I just… it was an owl," Alice stated calmly.

"All ok though?"

"Yeah… a hoover?" Alice pointed to the small machine now on her bed, Ashley glanced back at it.

"Hey, there was nothing and I mean, NOTHING, scarier than my mum on a cleaning spree. Never question the hoover," she picked it up and blew at the end as if it was a pistol that had recently been fired. It puffed out a small patch of dust that she waved away quickly with a grin.

"You are actually amazing," Alice laughed as Ashley winked and lowered the hoover.

"I know, but don't ever stop reminding me. You are ok though?" she questioned; Alice could see the genuine concern in her eyes.

"Yeah, sorry to have woken you."

"Ok, well I'm going to go and de-green myself," Ashley muttered, looking at the green expanses on her arms. "You'd best do the same, sorry!"

Alice watched her leave with a smile before fishing out a baby wipe from her dressing table and mopping up the green stains on her face. She glanced back at the window, there was no owl there now. Carefully she closed the curtains, pausing only when a man walked past. He looked familiar, most likely just a resident of the flats they were in. She dismissed the thought and got ready for bed, pulling on a university hoodie and silken pants. Dropping into bed she pulled the duvet up to her chin, she felt unsettled, uneasy. It was almost like she was stood on a precipice, her toes hanging over and her arms spread wide, ready to fall or fly. Her heart was in her throat and her fingers were ice cold as they clutched the duvet.

Bare feet padding along a rough stone tile floor. The scent of a fire and roasting chicken. Laughter and a scream intertwined echoing down a bare stone corridor. Soft material sweeping against her legs, the gentle crush of a corset about her chest. She paused, glancing down at her hands. Delicate silver chains and rings, sparkling with jewels in a rainbow of colours. With little thought she ripped them free and dropped them as she continued down the corridor. A random trail of broken trinkets, they turned to raw metals and broken chips of gems as they fell. Just an illusion, like everything else in this place. She continued her path; she was searching for someone.

Wooden doors swung open before her into a ballroom draped in white, navy and silver. Brocade silks, painted wood, twisted silver metal all mixed into a disruptive, chaotic and beautiful scene. Her feet stopped moving, the stone tile changing to smooth wooden planks, worn from thousands of feet passing over them. The layers of her skirt swirled about her like a mist. Slowly she turned, eyes were on her, watching her intently but she couldn't find their owner. Her breath caught as a hand landed on her shoulder and she turned instinctively to face the person.

The world spun crazily, steadied only by the mismatched eyes before her. Only in them did the world stay still, did it cease to fall. Fingers knotted into hers and an arm slipped about her waist, pulling her flush to his chest. Music spilled from a harp, a twisted melody, sweet and sour to her ears. Her feet moved without thought, following his guidance without question or hesitation as he picked up the beat and moved perfectly in time with it. Her fingers tightened about his, her hand resting instinctively on his shoulder as they moved as one. It was natural, it was right, the rhythm, the pace, everything was perfect. There was no one else here, it was just them, the harpist and that unnatural melody.

Time faded into nothing, lost in his eyes, lost in the music and the movement. He released his arm from about her waist and twirled her gently, she turned away, the skirts clinging to her legs for a moment before flaring dramatically until she was at arm's length. Finger to finger, the only contact she had with him, only then did she pause. His fingers urged her to return to him, the only part of them still touching as her mind reeled. It was telling her to run, why would she run though? This was right, this felt so right.

"No," she whispered, her fingers breaking from his as she stepped backwards. He followed her step for step until her back collided with a tapestry, the heavy material blocking the chill from the stone wall behind it.

"This is where you belong," he whispered as he stepped up to her, his lips so close to her own she could taste his breath. His mismatched eyes were locked with hers, so confidently, arrogantly… almost possessively.

Sweet wine, a heady mix of fruits and honey. She swallowed nervously, fighting to keep her senses straight. His fingers brushed her jaw and the sheer electricity of his touch jolted her back to herself. She shouted 'no' once more and turned to run away from him. Carelessly she pulled the now cumbersome skirt up and away from her feet so as not to trip on the voluminous material. Out of the ballroom and down a spiral stone staircase, goblins appeared from doorways and she shrieked despite herself as she ran. A bolted door blocked her way, she tugged futilely at the handle as the shadows of chasing goblins steadily caught up to her.

Turning she sprinted down another corridor, the corset restricting her breath and making every step more agonising. Finally, she reached another door, this one unlocked. Tugging it open she dashed through before pushing it closed and leaning against it while she caught her breath. Before her was a badly manicured garden, it would have been beautiful once but now the plants were gradually turning brown. Their petals fallen and shrivelled at their bases, the only dashes of colour in a fading world. The door bounced behind her as the goblins sprinted straight into it. She glanced over her shoulder, there was a key in the lock, and she turned it quickly before running deeper into the garden.

"You can't escape me Sarah, this is my world," the Goblin Kings' voice carried ethereally to her. "It could be yours too if you would just love me, fear me…" The words faded away as she went deeper into the Labyrinth.

Sarah sat bolt upright with a shout, her heartbeat furiously in her chest and her eyes wouldn't focus properly. Gently she ran her fingers through her hair as she looked about the room, it was her kitchen, she was home, she was safe. She'd just fallen asleep while writing, the ink from her pen now smudged and staining her fingertips. It had felt so real though, she could still feel the heat of his touch. Where his arm had rested about her waist, the pressure of his fingers on the back of her hand, the scent that could only be his. She released a shaky breath; she hadn't realised she'd been holding it. How long had it been since she'd had such a realistic dream? It had been years, so many years. Her heart was fluttering with the memory still, only now she wasn't sure if it was just fear that made it beat like that. She rested a hand over her chest and took a deep breath.

'Love me, fear me…' the words echoed in her mind.

"I will be your slave," Sarah whispered, remembering his speech so clearly in her mind. His voice echoed in her ears, she could almost see his smile.


	7. Chapter 6

Sarah looked down at the pact she had begun, she was mostly finished there were just a few phrases and words she wanted to check over before calling Hoggle. There needed to be no escape from it, not even for a fae as strong as Jareth. That meant that the phrasing had to be perfect and not open to even the slightest possibility of a different interpretation. Right now, she needed a cold shower, to forget the 'dream' and to sleep. Carefully she extracted herself from the scattered papers and table legs and headed for the bathroom. It had been so long since she'd thought about him, not once had she considered him as an adult, as being truly real, other than to write him as the villain in her stories.

Stepping into the shower she let the chill water wash over her. It stole her breath and the memories, or dream, she corrected. She'd never been in the ballroom of the castle though, only the illusionary one in the crystal. How had she known what it looked like? It must have been a dream, she reasoned, scrubbing shampoo into her scalp furiously. Nothing more than a dream. Was that regret at the back of her mind? It felt like it. She rinsed quickly before slamming the handle up to shut the shower off. This was not right; she did not desire the Goblin King. He stole children and young girls; goodness knows how many at that! She slapped the towel furiously about herself and stomped into the bedroom. This was utterly unreasonable and ridiculous. This wasn't even real! It was all just a dream, Toby had never been in danger, Alice was delusional, and the Goblin King was nothing more than a childish delusion sent by her unconscious brain to correct her juvenile behaviour.

Her thoughts stumbled to a stop. A dream? Had she just thought of him as a dream? That was not the right phrasing, it had been a nightmare, not a dream. Still her mind insisted on whispering dream. With a frustrated cry she threw herself down and pushed her face into the pillow to muffle the scream that was building within her. This was all wrong, she had beaten the Labyrinth, hadn't she? Toby was home, he was well and starting university soon. He had no memory of a Labyrinth or a Goblin King. She rolled onto her back, the scream having exhausted her and broken through a barrier she hadn't felt until it snapped. What if she wanted to stay with him? Her life had been far from the success she had anticipated. Her acting career had never launched properly. It was only because of her books, and the trial that he had put her through, that she had any money or any hint of a career. What if she wasn't meant for this world? What if she was meant for him?

There were more questions than answers right now. She just needed to sleep. Tomorrow would be a new day, free of dreams, nightmares… confusion. The 'pact' could be written, it would form the basis of the book that was forming in her mind and she would ring Alice. She would tell her that she was delusional and needed help. This was all her fault really, triggering all these thoughts, memories and dreams… nightmares. It had gone beyond reason now. It was ridiculous to be dragged into a psychotic woman's psychosis. That is all this was, the Labyrinth was not real. The Goblin King was not real. These dreams… nightmares, were not real!

Sleep came eventually but restlessly. She tossed and turned all the night until waking with the dawn, a fine sheen of sweat on her body, her hair clinging to her face. Tension was constricting her heart and throat, almost to the point where she couldn't breathe. Frustrated, Sarah tossed the duvet away and dragged her dressing gown about her shoulders. Smacking the kettle on she leaned back against the kitchen counter, her legs and arms crossed defensively, protectively. Against what she couldn't quite put her finger on, and it was making her even more uneasy. Like the calm before a storm, the world was holding its breath to see her next step. She just wasn't sure what it was yet, or where she was supposed to turn. A tap came from the window, she gasped despite herself and waited for it to repeat. No further noise came, her heart was in her mouth, beating so hard she was sure it would soon break her ribs. Carefully she made her way to the blinds and eased them open a millimetre, just enough to see through.

The tree outside her apartment reached across as the snowstorm swirled more furiously, the branch double tapped once more. Sarah laughed at herself, she was starting to lose her mind. Perhaps starting a new book on the Labyrinth was not what she needed after all. It was starting to make her paranoid, or delusional. She wasn't sure which, wasn't sure she even wanted to know. She ran a hand through her hair in shaky reassurance. The kettle clicked off and she poured the steaming water into the cup, watching as the instant coffee dissolved in a murky swirl. The aroma filled the small kitchen reassuringly, driving back the thoughts and memories. Gingerly she sipped at it as she dropped onto the kitchen chair, her elbows resting on the table.

Her fingers sought solace in the comfort of the familiar paper and pages of her journals. Each page had a story, a moral, a moment, a memory of her time in the Labyrinth. Sketches and doodles interspersed the writing of the earlier pages. When she'd still been trying to make sense of her experience in the Goblin Kings' realm. She paused at one doodle, a goblin with a scar, peeping around the corner of her dad and stepmom's home. Was that the one Alice had shown her? Had that been Jacob once upon a time? She dismissed the thought, there was no point dwelling on things that may or may not even exist. More pages turned; more memories flitted across her minds eye until she came across the sketch of the swirling staircase that she had run up to reach that last stand off with him.

There was a drawing within her drawing, she turned the page carefully to look at the sketch within the sketch. There had been a painting on the wall, a painting of the Goblin King and… a woman. Her sketch was in pencil, there was nothing to tell her anymore. He wasn't alone in the painting though, there was someone with him, someone he had been looking at… with love? It was a scene from a dance, the woman had her back to the artist, all that could be seen was a dress and long hair. She couldn't remember anything more than that fleeting glance. If there had been any other clues in the castle, she couldn't recall them now, it hadn't exactly been her prerogative at the time. What if Alice was right though? What if he was looking for someone? Her heart fluttered, in fear or anticipation she couldn't tell. What if she was that someone?

She turned to the other notebook, her sketching book. What if she'd subconsciously recorded anything in there? Perhaps there was a clue as to who he was looking for, so desperately and determinedly. She started at the beginning, the rough sketches and doodles from when she'd needed to just let her mind go and process things. There was the worm, a sketch of Hoggle and his jewels, Ludo's kindly eyes, Didymus and Ambrosius. A few sketches of the landscape, the never-ending wall of the outer Labyrinth and the faeries that had flitted about the ponds. There was nothing in relation to a woman, no sign of anything untoward. The sketches got more developed, started to relate to the 'real' world more and finally ended with her latest sketch of Alice. She paused on the page, Alice staring down at the cakes behind the glass counter and an owl staring up at her… Sarah leaned closer to her sketchbook. She'd doodled on it absently when she'd been contemplating Alice's speech about the others that the Goblin King had taken. Why had she drawn an owl… a barn owl? Why was it looking up at Alice?

Her heart was starting to beat too quickly. Fear was rising with the strength of an all-consuming fire. There was more to her doodle, goblin fingers were entwined with Alice's. They were pulling her down, that was why she was hunched in her sketch. Sarah slammed the notebook shut and ran for her phone, praying she was wrong, praying it was nothing more than an absent-minded doodle from an overactive imagination. Her tongue was sticking to the roof of her mouth. Ripping off her dressing gown she pulled a clean set of underwear, jeans and a jumper from her closet and shoved the clothing onto her body clumsily. Tugging the phone free from its charger she hit the buttons furiously until Alice's number came up on the screen. Hitting the green phone icon, she held the mobile to her ear, dashing through the small apartment. Drawing a scarf about her throat and pulling a coat on with her free arm as she reached for her keys and the front door handle simultaneously. She just couldn't move fast enough; she needed more hands.

"Hello?" she almost died with relief at the sound of the sleep addled voice.

"Alice? What's your address? I need to see you, right now!"

"Alice?" the voice whispered distantly. Cold, all-consuming and utterly debilitating began to settle over Sarah.


	8. Chapter 7

"No, Ashley, why are you ringing… this isn't my phone is it. Ugh, I've got Alice's again," Ashley mumbled incoherently down the phone. "Look, she's asleep, you need to talk to her, try again in the morning."

"Wait, no, don't hang up!" Sarah squeaked down the phone desperately.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Sarah… Sarah Williams? The author?" No acknowledging noise came from Ashley, Sarah lifted the phone away from her ear to check it was still connected. Alice's number glowed up at her, the time counter still going. "Can you just check that she's alright, please?" Silence hung heavily in the air for a moment longer before a grunted 'fine' came over the line. Time passed slowly, how long did it take for someone to walk into someone else's room?

"She's fine, she's asleep, like I want to be. Are we done?"

"Yes, thanks and sorry. Can you ask her to ring me in the morning? We need to talk," the other girl mumbled in agreement and the line went dead.

Sarah stood in her hallway, the door open and her hand still on the handle. Slowly she pushed it back closed and unwound the scarf from her neck. She needed to calm down. This was ridiculous. He wasn't real, the Labyrinth wasn't real, she was just getting dragged into the other woman's nonsense. That's all it was. Shrugging her coat off she hung it back up, dropping her keys on the table as she headed back into the kitchen. The steaming coffee cup greeted her; she hadn't even made it halfway through. Running a hand through her hair she glanced back down at the sketches and notebooks. The page had fallen open on her draft of the final scene against the Goblin King. 'You have no power over me' was underscored viciously. That was where it had ended but what about how it had begun?

Carefully she flipped through to the first few pages. The writing blurred as she looked for the lines, she knew she had once whispered. The writing glared up at her, 'Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be, come take this child of mine far away from me!'. That wasn't it. It didn't start with 'I wish…'. Had she changed it for her book to stop others from whispering the fateful words. What were they? She scoffed and slammed the book shut. This was ridiculous, right words, wrong words, it was all nonsense. It wasn't even real. She needed to go back to bed, downing the rest of her coffee she dropped the cup into the sink before knocking the lights out and heading back to her bedroom.

"I wish the goblins would come and take you away, right now," Sarah whispered, remembering the fateful words finally. She smiled slightly at remembering the correct ones before glancing around her. There was no one here. It had been a dream, the whole thing. She was equal parts relieved and disappointed. The disappointment concerned her slightly, she reminded herself again that the Labyrinth had been a nightmare, not a dream. Her hands grasped the bottom of her jumper, ready to pull it off over her head as she elbowed her way through her closed bedroom door.

"Well, well, well, this is quite the greeting Sarah," a male voice rang out clear, dripping in arrogant charm.

Sarah tugged the jumper sharply back down and she self consciously crossed her arms over her chest. She'd only pulled it up to her shoulders but still, she wasn't sure how much he would have seen. They were stood in the dark, but she'd know that outline anywhere, the long cloak, the tousled spikey hair, the way he stood, effortlessly confident. Quickly she flicked the light switch on as he stepped closer. He paused as the lightbulb sparked into life and blinked before recomposing himself. Her mind was reeling, he was here, he was real. She pinched her lower arm hard, but this was neither a dream nor a nightmare and there was no simple escape. Nervously she swallowed as his grin widened.

"What… how are you here?" Sarah whispered.

"You called me, remember," just the corner of his lip curled upwards slightly. "I wish… isn't that how all of our conversations start?"

"No," Sarah stepped backwards as he took a step towards her. She wanted to keep the distance.

"I have to say, after our last bout I wasn't sure you'd want to return," Jareth held her gaze quietly. "Or that you would have a child for me to take," his suggestion faded into the eerily quiet room.

"I don't." Sarah clarified, watching the sparkle in his eyes grow at her admission.

"Well, that leaves us with something of a situation, doesn't it? Here I am, ready to take your child and fulfil all of your dreams and you have no child for exchange," he stepped closer, his face millimetres from her own. She took another step back until her back collided with the door. "What would you suggest I take instead?"

His words dripped with suggestion and menace. The meaning wasn't lost on her at all when he emphasised 'take'. Words failed her, her breath caught in her throat, at his proximity or suggestion she wasn't sure. Why were her words failing her? She had bested him once; she could do it again. Those eyes though, the way they looked at her, drove deep into her soul. "You have no power over me," she whispered ineffectually.

"Oh, but I do now. You just gave it to me. You see you didn't fulfil your part of the wish. Which means…"

"It means you leave, with nothing," Sarah whispered, trying to be forceful. She wanted her voice to be strong, to be commanding but these events were too unexpected. She was off balance and out of control, reeling to comprehend the situation before her. That smile, that smile was making her breath catch.

"No, Sarah, it means I take what is mine. What is owed as part of your wish," Jareth stated calmly.

"You can't, people will look for me. Alice, Alice will come and find me," Sarah stuttered as his hand rested on her upper arm, long fingers tightening ever so slightly. Heat spread from his touch and over her body.

"Alice? I don't know an Alice. It's inconsequential anyway, your debt is to me. I was summoned with a wish that fell from your very lips. There is only you and I involved," Jareth continued, gently lifting her from the door.

"Yes, you do, you do know an Alice, you took her brother, Jacob, and gave her the sight in exchange. She has a crystal ball, just like yours," Sarah continued, growing in confidence. He frowned, genuinely confused. Was it possible for him to forget one of his stolen children?

"I do not know an Alice, Sarah."

"She ran your Labyrinth, she knows you," Sarah trailed off as his eyes flashed dangerously.

He waved a hand casually at the window, his eyes still on her. The glass shifted until it turned into a doorway into Alice's bedroom. Sarah stared dumbfounded at it. The young woman was in bed, lying on her side, a hand under her face and more blankets piled on her than Sarah thought was particularly healthy or necessary. "This woman? The one you've been spending so much time with recently?" Jareth queried softly.

"How did you…?"

"Come, come now Sarah, your ignorance is hardly endearing. Did you really think I would not be watching you?" Jareth tutted disapprovingly at her. Sarah felt colour tint her cheeks, what had he seen? "Is she your companion now? Your lover?"

"No! She's…"

"A friend?" Jareth teased with a quirk to his lips. "You already have friends in the Labyrinth, Sarah."

"If you take me, she will come for me," Sarah repeated, breathlessly as he turned to face her. A hand on each arm, his face millimetres from hers. If she just leaned forwards her lips could brush his. He smiled faintly, apparently reading her thoughts as she leaned backwards to give herself more space from his presence.

"You want me to take you though," he purred confidently. "I can feel it in you. Do you really want to play this game? To delay the inevitable?"

"Yes, she will come for me," Sarah felt her heart flutter as he smiled, cat like. One hand released her arm tenderly, the other trailed down her sleeve, leaving a burning heat behind until long fingers wrapped about her wrist and dragged her towards the window. Her feet followed more willingly than she intended as they stepped through and the walls of her bedroom changed to stone.

Sarah span on the spot, she was alone. Her skin still burned with the memory of his touch. She rubbed the areas gently, urging them to forget his touch and stop presenting a distraction to her current predicament. Solid stone walls surrounded her, a couple of lit torches, a bed, dressed in simple linens, and a desk and chair were the only furnishings. The torches were too high for her to reach but there was a door at the opposite end. She hurried towards it and grasped the heavy ring of the handle. Desperately she pulled and twisted but the door would not budge. It was locked and she was alone, somewhere in the Goblin King's castle. Fear settled in her stomach and her mind; this was not happening.

Carefully she retreated to the bed, she started to sit on it before leaping up as if it had scalded her. There was a chair, sitting on the bed would give him the wrong idea based on what he had just been telling her. Nervously she perched on the wooden chair and sat, waiting for the first sign of the door opening. What had she been thinking? Challenging him like that and getting Alice involved. Of all the people to come to her rescue she wasn't sure her first choice would have been the ex-asylum woman with obsessive delusions of the Labyrinth and a questionable understanding of sanity. Saying that, perhaps she was just what she needed for a rescue attempt. The Labyrinth hardly favoured the sane.


	9. Chapter 8

Alice stood quietly; her eyes wide as she gazed down at the Labyrinth. She blinked twice, trying to clear her mind and thoughts. Her eyes slid sideways, he was still there, smiling sadistically. Was she hallucinating? Ly had told her that she needed to ground herself at times like this, to bring her back to reality. Her bare feet registered the dirt and the wind made her bare legs shiver. This was reality. The thought crossed her mind that she should have worn full length pants to bed, after all it was winter. This was just uncomfortable from every angle, exposed skin to elements and eyes. She closed her eyes and whispered to herself about waking up but on opening, nothing had changed. Not a dream either.

"I hear that you believe you have been here before," Jareth whispered from her left as he sidled confidently closer. "I have no recollection of you."

"I have been here before," Alice stated, she turned to face him. "You're him, the Goblin King," he smiled faintly at her acknowledgement before folding his arms and considering her more intently.

"If you had been here before then I would remember you," Jareth assured.

"You called me Sarah," Alice turned as he circled her once more.

"You are not Sarah," he informed her coldly, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"I know, not THAT Sarah. Where is she?" Alice's mind began to engage with the situation, the threatening presence of the Goblin King triggering enough adrenaline to jump start even the most tired creature in creation.

"Sarah is in my castle, she called for me and then named you as her Champion."

Alice followed his pointing finger to the castle at the top of the hill and the end of the Labyrinth. She swallowed nervously, anticipating what would come next, "You want me to run the Labyrinth for her."

"Precisely, perhaps you have been here before," Jareth drawled, he almost sounded bored, but she caught the quaver of tension in his voice.

"I have, why does no one believe me," Alice snapped despite herself, the fae merely raised an amused eyebrow. "What are the terms?" Alice demanded, he studied her curiously.

"You have eight hours seeing as you claimed to have been here before. If you win then Sarah will return to the mortal realm with you, unless she chooses not to. If you lose," he smiled cruelly. "Then she stays here with me and you return alone."

"I have a different set of terms," Alice reposted quickly, catching him off guard. "If I win then we both leave, you return my brother and promise to never take children again," he bristled at her and stepped threateningly forwards. Alice didn't back down, her resolve strengthening, and she straightened her stance. It was ineffectual, he still stood several inches taller than her. "If I lose then you keep us both or send me back if you don't want me here. I'm used to not belonging, I won't take it personally." He paused in his rage and turned instead to quiet contemplation. She didn't know if her counteroffer had worked or not.

"You have six hours," Jareth declared before disappearing with one swirl of his cloak.

"Hey, that's not…" Alice caught herself in time. It was her own fault; she knew she should have included a time allowance in her offer.

Alice stared at the expanse of Labyrinth before her, familiar but not. It had been green and fresh with new life when she had last seen it. Now it was cold, dying and brown. She turned to climb to the top of the hill and studied the twists and turns as best she could, making mental notes as she went. Six hours would be tight even if she never went wrong and the Labyrinth had ways of sending you wrong without you even knowing. It was her favourite part about it. She shook her head at the thought, that was not her favourite part, it would cost Sarah, herself, countless children and their families their lives if she didn't solve it in time. Releasing a shaky sigh, she jogged down the hill and towards the gate. No Hoggle greeted her, there was an eerie silence, even an absence of faeries about the pond. Some part of her noted it with sadness before focusing back onto the task at hand. The gates did not swing open easily, instead she had to push and pit her miniscule weight against the wood to get them to open. Finally, they opened wide enough for her to squeeze through, she could practically hear the ticking of seconds passing her by.

The walls loomed, taller and more imposingly than she remembered, they should have had flowers and vines draped over them. Trees should have been spreading heavily laden boughs of fruit and leaves to cover the pathways from the blazing sun. Instead, dust, remnants of glitter and dead sticks intermingled under foot with the odd fallen brick from the uncared-for wall. Carefully she made her way forwards, painfully aware of how uncomfortable it was to walk in this place bare foot. This was why they had grass and trees! She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. Time passed slowly and quickly as she worked her way through the maze, the song she had made up to remember the turns and twists she needed to take garnered the attention of a small bird. It began to mimic the rhythm back to her and then changed it to its own.

Alice stumbled to a stop, her song dead and the memory of the path gone with it. She glared at the bird as it took to wing and flitted away. There was almost the sound of laughter echoing down the corridor. Releasing a frustrated sigh, she brushed the tension away and kept walking. There was more than one way to best a Labyrinth, she settled to always turning left before remembering that it changed anyway. In annoyance she stopped again and gritted her teeth. This was not impossible; Sarah had beaten it. She'd had thirteen hours, but Jareth had sped up her clock and she had landed in an oubliette and gone into a dream. Surely if she avoided all that she could manage it in less time. If she could keep her faith, remember what Sarah had written and trust her own instincts, she could do this. With a strengthened resolve Alice headed down the corridor to her right.

Sarah shuffled uncomfortably on the chair, there wasn't a clock or anyway to measure time passing. Not even a window to see rays of moon or sun light by. It could be day or night, an hour or twelve since she had walked into this room. Her nerves were beginning to fray. What had happened to the Goblin King? Had he hurt Alice? Was Alice here too? Full of nervous energy she stood and began to pace the room. Thirty steps and turn, thirty steps and turn… a short, fast, tense walk. A key clicked into the lock, distracting her enough for her to stumble to a stop. The door eased open and she fought to not peer around and see who was on the other side. A goblin stepped into the room, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Sorry miss human, we put you in the wrong room," he beckoned for her to follow him. Sarah stared, dumbfounded at the open door and solitary 'guard'. A flat brimmed helmet wobbled precariously on his head as he trotted back in to look at her curiously. "Are you broken?" He beckoned once more and she followed, curiosity getting the better of her, she fully expected a troop or the Goblin King himself to be outside. Instead, it was just her and the solitary goblin. She should have felt insulted, but she was still too surprised by the comment of 'the wrong room'.

She followed the small goblin down the torch lit corridor to a spiral staircase. The temptation to run was great but she figured there would be locked doors between her and her escape. As she had suspected, at the top of the stairs the goblin battled with another heavy-set door, gesturing for her to go through before he locked it behind them. Sarah blinked in the sunlight and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the glare. She was in the gardens that lined the castle itself, but they looked wrong to when she had been here. The plants were dying, their leaves starting to curl and fade to an ashen shade.

"This way miss," the goblin tugged at her hand before hurrying around a corner.

Sarah was tempted to turn tail and run. The only thing that stopped her was the realisation that she had nowhere to run to. This wasn't her world, if she ran then she would still be in his world, still at his mercy even if she wasn't directly under his control. At least here she knew where the fae was. Perhaps it would even be possible to help Alice by distracting him? She remembered all the tricks he had played on her while she had battled with the ever-changing paths and denizens. If she could keep him entertained, then he couldn't change the Labyrinth or send creatures to disrupt Alice's path. Her mind made up she followed the goblin into the main castle.

Through twisted corridors and long staircases, they made their way into the upper reaches of the castle. Finally, the goblin stopped outside a door and turned to study her curiously. "You're not how I remember you, human. You've changed."

"We've never met," Sarah began, only for him to walk off without a second glance.

With a shaky breath Sarah opened the door to her new prison cell, or room, seeing as it didn't appear to have a lock. Was he that confident that she wouldn't leave? The room through the doorway took her breath away. It was massive, expansive, dominated by the biggest bed she had ever seen in her life. Every inch of her wanted to run at it, screaming, and bounce on it. Silks and velvets draped over the entire thing, plump cushions and pillows were scattered about the room as well as on the bed. Bookcases filled with ancient but perfectly preserved books filled another wall, a plush pair of armchairs and a pouffe facing a roaring fire. At the far end an open balcony that looked down onto the city and out to the Labyrinth. Everything was extravagant, ornately decorated, utterly ridiculous and absolute perfection.

"Do you like it?"


	10. Chapter 9

Sarah span around too quickly, almost losing her balance but for the steadying hand that gently gripped her elbow. So much for her distracting him, he was here, his eyes on hers. There was almost an element of uncertainty as he looked at her. Was he unsure? She nodded despite herself, her breath still momentarily stolen by his attention on her. Only the faintest quirk of his lips acknowledged her response as his hand dropped from her elbow. He stalked, predatorially, towards the fire and gazed down into it, almost lost in thought.

"I thought this room would be more suitable for you. After all, you're going to be here for a very long time," he declared confidently to the flames.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Sarah stated, fighting to keep her voice steady in his presence.

"Your Alice has never walked the Labyrinth, nor do I have her brother," Jareth continued calmly, causing her heart to flutter slightly.

"She knows things that she could only know by having been here."

"That may be, but it was not I that brought her here. Nor was it me that told her anything that she knows, or claims to know," he turned his unmatched eyes on her. "She's confident, I'll give her that. Just like you were when we first met. If she hadn't been so brave as to change my terms, she might have made it. I was generous."

"Changed… what terms?" Sarah whispered, her heart in her throat at the thought of what Alice had promised, exchanged or gambled. His wicked smile did nothing to ease her concern.

"If she loses you both stay here with me," Jareth declared proudly. "So, I suggest you get comfortable."

"What if she wins?" Sarah demanded; her heartbeat wasn't slowing. She was trying not to think what the main cause of that was.

"Sarah, I wouldn't concern myself with that eventuality. She only has six hours and has never seen this world before," Jareth smiled wickedly before striding back towards the door. "You are free to walk about the castle as you wish, you may as well get used to your new kingdom."

The door slammed shut behind him and Sarah stared, her mouth still ajar. What had Alice promised? Six hours… her mind was reeling. Even with the best will in the world there was no one who could get through that Labyrinth in six hours. Alice would have to be perfect in every way to make it, or a serious cheat. It just wasn't possible, after all, who could cheat the Labyrinth. Sarah hurried towards the balcony, her hands gripping the stone railing as she gazed down at the goblin city, and further out, to the Labyrinth itself.

There was no trace of Alice's path through the Labyrinth until she was a good hour into her journey. She'd stubbed her toe on a branch, taken a tumble and then sliced her other foot on a suspiciously pointed twig. Now small blood stains marked her path. It was a morbid way of tracking her own progress. Twice she had caught herself doubling back by spotting the marks of blood. More concerningly was the growing suspicion that she was being watched. Unsure if it was her nerves or the general unease of the Labyrinth, she had begun glancing back around corners to see if any one or any thing followed. Once she thought she'd seen a glimpse of a shadow, but it had been nothing more than a long dead leaf falling from the top of the wall. Her nerves were starting to fail her.

Everything here seemed to be long dead as if it was waiting for a winter that wouldn't start but was too far gone to spawn new life by itself. She felt a similar ache within herself the further she walked into the maze. Every step she felt younger and yet so much older, it made her dizzy, nauseous and more than once the world tipped disturbingly one way or another. Thankfully she had only has as far as the wall to fall, its reassuring stonework always being there to catch her. As appreciative as she was, she wished it would turn to the softer, more refined stonework of the inner maze, or even the hedges that would suggest the castle wasn't too far beyond. Instead the rough stonework of the outer Labyrinth walls mocked her as she stumbled on. She only had five hours left.

Something made her pause, a sense, a tingle in the back of her mind, calling her to turn left. The wall was solid though, or was it? Was that a shimmer? A glimmer… Alice reached forwards carefully and brushed her fingers over the stonework. It wasn't whole, it was there but not. A slight resistance against her probing fingers but the wall was not a wall. Steeling herself she pressed with both hands, ripples echoed out from her fingers as the stones began to bend and flex. She pushed harder and with a grunt of effort and surprise she tumbled through, landing hard on the smooth stonework of the inner Labyrinth. Glancing back, two wall ends sat together behind her. The wall, that was not a wall. Dusting herself off, she rested a hand against the two columns, the same feeling from this side. It looked like a wall, smelled like a wall, parts of her brain screamed at her that it clearly was a wall, but another part merely smiled, told her that she'd known all along.

A shiver ran down her spine, she glanced down at her fingers, rubbed the tips together and wondered. How many of these walls were not there? How many just wanted her to believe that they were? Alice reached back to the wall and let her fingers trail past the not wall, stone met her fingers, rough and harsh. So, there were solid sections but now she had a plan to speed up her progress. All she had to do was trail her fingers over the wall and walk through the sections that weren't there. A small smile crept over her lips, perhaps this was possible after all. Hurriedly she walked to the opposite wall and began her search for the elusive invisible gaps.

Sarah wandered through to the bathroom, noting the walk-through closet that sat between the two rooms of her 'suite'. The same theme of decorations poured from every visible angle. She ran her hands over the stones that made up the 'bath', built into the corner of the room it could have almost been a pool. Seats lined the outside and served as a step down into the water which poured in from a waterfall that fell from the corner through the ceiling. Absently she wondered where the water came from before dismissing the thought with the memory of 'magic'. He could change time, why would a little waterfall be too much?

The rest of the bathroom looked as if it had been pulled through from a Venetian palace. Elaborate claw feet supported a ridiculously oversized sink, over which a gigantic mirror hung. Sarah studied the room, it was a clash of two styles, nature and simplicity with the waterfall bath and courtly drama and elegance with the sink, toilet and other accessories. They worked symbiotically and chaotically together, forest stone and delicately crafted Italian tiles merging and blending into each other. She walked back to the closet quickly, she felt like an intruder.

A glimpse of herself in a floor to ceiling mirror made her pause. Long dark hair, loose today, fell about her shoulders. Baggy jumper, jeans and sneakers. Perhaps she felt out of place because she looked out of place? She twirled a strand of hair about her finger, bit her lip and then resolved that she would dress more in the fae style. Whatever these wardrobes held she would wear. After all, there was only a few hours left for Alice to find her way here. She needed to keep the attention of the Goblin King on her to give Alice the best chance she could. The fewer opportunities he had to interfere the better.

Carefully she wrapped her fingers about the handle of the nearest closet door, releasing a shaky sigh she eased it open. The contents were disappointing. She'd been expecting a myriad of grandiose and vibrant alternatives to her drab wear. Instead, everything was either white or cream, in various shades with only the occasional hint of any colour.

"Those would be mistress's relaxation clothes," a soft voice whispered from her left, almost causing Sarah to jump out of her skin. The closet door slammed closed. "They're meant for reading or walking the gardens, not for what you're thinking of."

"Who are you?" Sarah gasped, gazing down at the small goblin.

"Thorn, mistress," Thorn looked up at her with a slight purse to her lips. "This will be the closet you're thinking of."

Without hesitation, Thorn clicked her fingers and the left-hand closet door on the opposite side of the room swung open obediently. A swath of blacks and greys met her eyes. Sarah stroked through the luxurious materials, velvet, silk, lace, a hint of leather met her fingertips. She pulled one out, a dramatic sweeping ballgown with the largest skirt she could imagine and just two strips of material to cover her breasts and tie behind her neck. It would certainly get his attention. Nerves set in and she put it back, not before noticing the quirk of Thorn's lips.

"Perhaps something in between?" Sarah whispered bashfully, Thorn clicked her fingers once more and a second door swung open.

This time the closet revealed greens, from emerald to soft spring shades. Carefully she searched through them before finding something she could bear to wear that gave enough hint without screaming 'I'm a distraction'. Thorn silently assisted, helping her with buttons and adjustments until the soft dress sat just right about her frame.

"It almost looks right on you," the goblin stated as she stepped away.

"Almost?" Sarah frowned.

"Well, no human should wear fae clothes," Thorn declared before tidying up Sarah's discarded jumper and jeans with a grimace. "Still, we'll soon have you right again."


	11. Chapter 10

Sarah straightened the dress once more. It moved like nothing she'd ever worn, it almost felt as if it would float off her body at any moment. The material was finer than anything she had ever experienced at home, see through where it touched her skin and iridescent where it didn't. Embroidery of flowers and vines, more delicate than anything in the real world protected her modesty, although she would argue that it was somewhat fleeting if she moved too carelessly. Still, it would have the desired effect without him getting too suspicious, or at least, she hoped it would. Most of the other outfits were spread between a rather large scale of almost frumpishly decent to out and out 'harlot'. Her cheeks had coloured at more than one outfit and she was not a prude, by any means. Carefully she straightened her hair in the mirror again, she could almost see what Thorn had meant about humans in fae clothing. The dress somehow complimented everything about her and insulted her by being more than she could ever be, somehow. A light over a shadow.

Thorn had also said about her being right again, as if she was momentarily broken. Had Alice been right? Was she meant to be here? This closet, the room, the bathroom. It was all half him and then… half someone else. Was that her? It didn't feel like her when she stood in the rooms and the clothes did not fit as if they were hers, nor did the style match her. What if he was looking for someone but it wasn't her? What if there was another Sarah? Her heart fell slightly. It had been her that had bested the Labyrinth though, just her. There wasn't anyone else. She felt right here, as if she was home, perhaps when she became fae she would be more of what she should be. Perhaps that was why the dress was not completing her, because she was not complete?

Sighing she shook her head; she was wasting time. Time that neither she nor Alice had. Even if she was meant to be here, it would be unfair to force Alice to stay as well. Jareth had said that she could choose, that she might choose to stay anyway. If Alice won, then she could go home. Was that how she would become fae? How she would finally belong? Be just choosing him, this place, this wonder. There would be time to contemplate that later, right now she needed to help Alice and that meant it was time to face Jareth.

Easing the door open Sarah stepped into the cool corridor and glanced each way. She didn't have even the beginning of a clue where the throne room was from here. Thorn had disappeared as quietly as she had appeared previously, her job apparently done once Sarah was dressed. Previously she had found the throne room, but she was sure that she was in a different part of the castle now and it was so long ago she wasn't sure if she remembered all the twists and turns. Standing still wasn't going to do her any good, she could almost hear the ticking of the clock as seconds passed her by. She turned right and walked more confidently than she felt.

Down a spiral staircase, through four more corridors and another staircase she found herself inexorably lost in the halls of the Goblin King. Once or twice she thought she had spotted a goblin, but they disappeared more quickly than she could catch up to see them. She'd followed their general direction, to no avail so far. Turning down another corridor she paused as a distant sound caught her ears, distantly she could hear singing. Quickly she made her way towards the noise before it too could fade away or disappear. A door barred her entrance, it didn't look big enough to be the entrance to the throne room. She pushed through anyway and stumbled into the kitchens.

Goblins turned shocked faces to her, spoons, ladles and knifes hovered in various stages of use as the song died instantly. Sarah froze, the goblins froze, it would have been comical if she hadn't felt so foolish. "Which way to the Throne room?"

United the goblins pointed to the left. Slowly she backed out of the kitchen, closing the door quietly behind her. Her cheeks were burning, she felt too warm. Fanning her face, she walked further down the corridor, desperate not to appear flustered when she finally stepped into the throne room. She turned a corner, her hand still fanning and her cheeks still fire engine red only to bump into someone. Instantly she apologised only to smell that scent that haunted her dreams, to feel those fingers on her upper arms once more. She turned her eyes up to meet with Jareth's. He looked amused.

"Well, what do we have here?" with little care he pushed her back to arm's length, eyes roving over her.

Flustered, confused and not entirely sure what was happening anymore Sarah stood dumbly. His fingers still on her arms as he held her at arm's length to see her in the dress. "I see you found the closet. I presume Thorn helped you to choose this subtle delight?"

"Yes," Sarah stammered, her smooth speech and intention to distract him now being utterly reversed. Her words failed her as he smiled, that self-assured smile that made her heart flutter, her knees weak and her palm itch to slap it off his face.

"It's rather, endearing, isn't it?"

"Endearing?" Sarah stuttered.

"Well, if you were intending on distracting me, I would have assumed that you would have gone for something in black?" Jareth stated calmly, wrapping her fingers into the crook of his elbow as he began to walk back up the corridor she had just come down. Sarah spluttered despite herself and tore her hand free. She took a carefully measured step back, trying to get breathing room from him.

"Distracting you? Why would I want to distract you?"

"For the sake of your little Alice friend, of course. Come, come now Sarah, surely you didn't think I wouldn't realise your plan to help her? Why do you think I sent Thorn up to you?" Jareth smiled; his head tilted slightly to one side as he studied her. "I have to admit, you are a little more predictable than I remember."

"Predictable?" Sarah snapped, anger catching up with her. She was wearing a dress that she would never ever entertain at home for its revealing qualities, intent on seducing a fae… ok, she he'd predicted that part, or about Alice. There was still one way she could catch him off guard though.

Without a second thought she stepped up to him swiftly, wrapped her arms about his shoulders and pressed her lips to his. She had to stand on tip toe to reach his height, but she figured it would appeal to him regardless. He was surprised, she felt his lips open beneath hers and she urged him to reciprocate by gently nipping his lower lip. Carefully she pressed her chest against his, her hips forwards to brush across his, any part of her she could get into contact with him she found a way. Hands rested on her arms as if to gently ease them away, but he was kissing her back now. He tasted of honey, of mid-afternoon heat on the last autumn day. His hands were releasing their grip, no longer intent on easing her away but instead starting to pull her closer.

One hand slid down to her waist, wrapping about her carefully, the other rested on the back of her head. As if to keep her captive against him. It was invigorating, she felt alive, heat was pooling in her limbs, in her core, like wildfire. Was that what it was like to kiss a fae? A fire was growing in her belly, urging her onwards, his teeth nipped at her lip bringing her back to the moment and pulling a moan from her, despite her resolution to not get lost. She was struggling to keep control of the situation. It had gone from drawing him into the moment to her trying, desperately to pull herself back out. Her body was disconnected from her thoughts, her thoughts were following her body's desires and only deep down somewhere did her mind scream that this was the Goblin King. This was the fae that had stolen Toby, who had turned her world upside down. He was dangerous and she was lost to him.

Without warning she was spun, her back crushed against the stone wall of the corridor. She was trapped between the wall and his body, heated and pressed into her. All she could do was keep kissing him, fingers running through the others hair, trailing over jawlines, her lips seeking out his as he pressed her back. His breath was ragged as he finally leaned back, his hands on her hips, holding her in place against the wall even as she reached for him. She didn't want it to stop. He could take her, right here, against the wall, hell, the goblins could have watched en masse, and she couldn't have cared less. His lip quirked, as if he could hear her thoughts. She wanted him to stop teasing and to touch her again.

"I take it back, you have proved your point," he whispered between steadying breaths.

"I'm not finished," Sarah demanded.

"Oh, but you are, for now," Jareth continued, his breath finally coming steady. His eyes were still dilated, the mismatched colours almost gone.

"Come to the room with me, we both know that Alice can't finish the Labyrinth in time. You might as well enjoy your prize," Sarah forced her voice to stay calm and steady, there was an annoyingly pleading edge to it. She just wanted him to touch her, to finish what she had started. Why wouldn't he finish it?

"I will not, not until you are completely mine," Jareth stated before stepping away from her. "Go back to your room Sarah."

She watched him walk away, back towards where she assumed the throne room was. Her knees were trembling, her whole body was aching, too hot, too cold, too much of everything. If that was how it felt to kiss him, how would it feel when she truly had him? She needed to regroup, needed to rethink her plan. The black dress, perhaps that would be distracting enough. Would he fall for it a second time? She knew he would, she had seen it in his eyes. It had taken every iota of his conscious existence to walk away this time. Next time, he would not escape.


	12. Chapter 11

Alice trailed her fingers over the leaves of the hedges, she was making time up now. The walls had given up their secrets slowly and she'd made swift progress. The hedges were proving harder to navigate. They didn't appear to have any magical gaps in, or they were better protected. She wasn't too sure which. Every now and again she could catch a glimpse of the still distant castle. It was helping to keep her on track. She must be over halfway by now, there was only the junk piles, the bog of eternal stench and the city itself to get through. An hour each and she should just make it. The only thing that concerned her was the lack of anyone alive. She hadn't seen a single living thing since she'd entered the Labyrinth. It was disconcerting, it almost seemed to echo.

"So, how are you finding my Labyrinth?"

Alice turned quickly. She wasn't particularly startled by his appearance. After all, he was known to keep appearing, checking in, making sure that not enough progress was being made. Sarah had recorded those behaviours in a lot of detail in her books. All that surprised Alice was how long it had taken him to check up on her. Did he not see her as a threat? He stood watching her with a confident quirk on his lips. "Where is Jacob?"

"I have no idea, I have never acquired a child by that name," Jareth stated calmly as he walked towards her. "You have made quite a bit of progress; I am almost impressed. How are you finding my Labyrinth?"

"It's not easy, but I'm determined," Alice stated calmly. She didn't make the mistake that Sarah had, she knew what had happened then and she didn't have the time for him to cut it even shorter. He was making her slightly nervous. How could he not know who Jacob was? "He has a scar on his cheek, I know you have him."

"Sarah… Alice," Was he distracted? "I do not have your brother. I do have Sarah though," Jareth walked around her, taking her in from every angle. She could feel his curiosity in her as he studied her. He raised an eyebrow curiously when she failed to be nervous of his appraisal. Of his words, she was apprehensive, but his study of her didn't cause her any concern. The realisation took her off guard as well, by all accounts she should have been at least wary and wondered what he was looking for. It didn't cross her mind, she wanted to know about Jacob.

"You're wasting my time," Alice continued, keeping her tone calm. A flash of irritation and amusement glanced over his features. He seemed to see her properly for a moment, as if he had come out of whatever trance he was in. This was not the Goblin King, in control of all his faculties. This was a distracted fae, something had rattled him. Alice didn't think it was anything she had done. Sarah?

"Am I?" he drawled. Alice turned away from him dismissively and continued walking through the hedges, one hand still trailing over the leaves in a vain hope that one would give the familiar feel of a glamour. Gloved fingers met hers, entwined with them and gently turned her to face him once more. She allowed herself to pause as he looked at her hand curiously, "Why are you doing that?"

"Your gift of the ability to see through glamour's, I can feel them in this land," she pulled her hand free.

"Glamour's? A gift? I have given no such gift," Jareth stated, dropping her hand as if she had burned him. "Who are you?" he almost sounded uncertain now and she had his full and undivided attention.

"I'm Alice, and I'm going to rescue Sarah and my brother," she turned and continued walking through the hedges. He didn't chase her this time and she didn't glance back; her heart was in her throat. That last look had been truly intense, haunted, lost, searching. He was searching for Sarah… but he had her?

She shook her head clear of the thoughts; this was no time to consider Sarah. There was still a lot of the Labyrinth before her and the more pressing issue of Jacob. He could not lie. He could twist the truth. He could bend it to his will, but he could not say explicitly say that about Jacob unless Jacob did not exist. Was all this a mistake? She remembered him so clearly, his smile, his jokes, the way he had tortured her and reminded her that she did not belong. Her feet stopped moving, what colour had his hair been? His eyes? She could see the goblin version as clear as day, but the human… there was no memory of him. No clear recollection, a generic smile, generic eyes, a sense of a face but no features. That wasn't possible. She turned as if to ask Jareth to explain, but he was no longer there. He had done nothing. Nothing to her or the Labyrinth, her challenge remained unchanged. This was… unprecedented. Her heart skipped a beat, she needed to finish this Labyrinth, there were answers at the end, she was sure of it.

There were no shortcuts through the hedges, somehow, she just knew it. She let her hands fall to her sides and she strode out more confidently, a path in her minds eye. Steadily she made her way through the hedges, not faltering, not thinking, allowing her feet to take the path they seemed to remember. Slowly the hedges became less complex, less intense, a stone seat to her right, she continued down the path, the castle was in front of her now. It was growing closer with every step, looming slightly. How was this happening? This was not possible. There was no possible way for her feet to know this path, even if she had run this maze every night in her dreams, it should not be the same. This was too easy. Was Jareth letting her win?

Her heart was racing as she contemplated the various reasons for all this happening. Jacob wasn't real, of that she was now certain. Her family, had they been real? Had any of her memories been real? Everything had been so clear until she stepped into the Labyrinth, now it was just confusing, nothing made sense. How did her feet know their path? Why had her feeling for glamour's returned? She turned a sharp right angle and went down a different path. The castle drifted closer. This wasn't natural. Where were all the denizens of the Goblin King? Why did she know her way more clearly with every step she took?

Sarah tugged futilely at the buttons on the back of her dress. Small goblin fingers joined hers, she resisted the urge to shriek and jump away. It would only be Thorn. In no time the dress fell from her shoulders, she clamped it to her chest before it could fall away completely. The goblin looked at her curiously before shrugging and wandering over to the black/grey closet. Apparently fae were less concerned about their modesty… "Mistress wants this one now?"

"Not yet," Sarah sighed. "Can you make me look more… fae?"

The little goblin looked at her curiously. She looked as if she was about to say something before deciding against it. Silently she wandered into the bathroom, Sarah trailed after her, still clutching the dress. It seemed futile to hold on to it now, she was certain the goblin was going to point her to the bath. Even her insecurity to be naked in this place wasn't strong enough for her to risk the dress in the water for the sake of her modesty. She let it fall to the ground, slipping her remaining underwear off before sinking into the surprisingly warm water. Dried flowers were thrown exuberantly into the water by Thorn, finally seeming to be enjoying herself. The second her shoulders were submerged Thorn set to work on her hair, rubbing in an herbal blend of something she couldn't identify and rinsing before repeating the process until the scent stuck to her hair.

Finally satisfied she urged Sarah back out of the water, holding out what must be the alternative for a towel in the Underground. It looked flimsy but soaked the droplets from her skin in seconds as Thorn guided her to an elaborate dressing table she had missed previously. Wrapped in nothing more than the sheer piece of fabric, Sarah started to feel self-conscious once more. Thorn's nimble fingers began to pull her hair through another sheet of sheer fabric, it dried it instantly, leaving a shine and a smooth curl she could only dream of with all the lotions in her bathroom at home. How could she compete with fae when they had such an unnatural advantage?

Thorn pulled a wooden brush through her hair before beginning to twist it into an ornate plait, half braided, half loose. Silently she slipped a thin tiara into the curls and she began to work on Sarah's face, steady fingers pinching and wiping various flowery concoctions on her features. By the time she turned back to the mirror there was a difference in her face that made her more ethereal but human still screamed under the shimmer of Thorns magic. Silently Thorn held out a peach to her.

Sarah stared down at it, resisting the urge to slap it from her hands and shout about the poison it had contained last time. "For mistress, so that she tastes as sweet as she looks," Thorn smiled. Slowly Sarah took the fruit from her hands, she was sure she knew what she was alluding to and the thought sat with her uncomfortably. Until she remembered the kiss, the heat, the desire that still burned away gently in her belly. It wanted to be sated, and she still needed to distract him.

"Get the black dress Thorn," Sarah whispered as she bit into the peach.


	13. Chapter 12

Alice stopped at the top of the stairs that descended into the junk piles. Figures moved, there was something alive in front of her. Elation was quickly followed by concern. Would these creatures try to stop her, delay her or would she be able to continue as easily? Sarah had written about Firey's, but she thought she was past their territory. Didn't they live in a forest? Sarah hadn't really mentioned what was in the junk heaps, this was the area where she had related it more to her own growth and understanding. It had slipped away from the Labyrinth and become more of a self-reflection chapter. The castle was ahead of her, clear in the autumn daylight. She steeled herself, it didn't matter who was in the junk piles, she just had to keep going. Sarah was counting on her, even if Jacob's existence was questionable.

Jogging down the steps she stumbled to a stop as she realised how bad it would be to walk on all this junk barefoot. It would take an eternity to traverse the unstable surface carefully. There wasn't time. She could look for foot coverings as she made her way across. Carefully she began to bounce from one safe spot to the next. Time passed quickly, unlike her progress across the forest of wasted items. The further she got through the worse the junk got. Balancing precariously on a broken table top she looked about her. Surely there was a quicker way. To her right something bobbed along, it looked to be moving along a path. There was a definite dip in the piles of junk ahead of her. Was there a way to get to it though? Carefully she glanced about herself, there was the other half of the table. If she moved one after the other, like steppingstones she might be able to make it.

Steadily she worked her way over the uneven surface until she could see into the dip. It was deep, she would lose sight of the castle, but it was smooth, just dirt with the odd remnant of junk that had tumbled from the walls either side. It would be significantly easier to move, quicker and far less painful. She trusted her gut; it had gotten her this far. Surely it would do the same in the pathways of the junk piles. Using the tabletop as a sled she slid down into the cleared section below. Dusting herself off she stumbled to her feet, ignoring the aches and pains that were growing more noticeable as she continued. She felt like her very bones were bruised, no doubt just another trick of the Labyrinth. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and let whatever part of her that knew this place take over. Silently she started walking once more. The piles of junk towering over her and blocking everything from sight but for the path in front of her.

It didn't take long until the pathway was barred by one of the wandering towers of junk she had seen from the staircase. Alice hesitated. Did she try to get past? Climb over the blockage? It turned more quickly than she could react, she swallowed nervously as a pinched face squinted at her from behind a discarded mesh of beads and trinkets. The tower of junk piled on to her back wobbled precariously, Alice took a step backwards as the creature stepped forwards. Was it even human? A goblin? It was unsettling, whatever it was.

"What are you doing here?" the creature grumbled. "Not your place," it continued, brandishing a broken chair leg at her angrily.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to get to the castle," Alice apologised, taking another step back and away from the waving chair leg.

"Oh, you are, are you?" the junk lady stepped closer, peering at her curiously. "Let's take a look at you." Alice froze against her will as the pile of junk teetered closer. The junk lady hummed and grumbled at her, under her breath. If she could have spoken Alice would have told her to speak up or leave her alone. "You don't have anything, do you… No place to go, no place to be, not even a thing to your name."

"What?" the spell fell as quickly as it had consumed her. Alice stared as the junk lady hmphed and turned away from her. "Hey, what do you mean that I don't have a place?"

"There's nothing for you here," the creature continued, dismissively brushing her off as Alice stared at her dumbly. Did she not even belong in the rubbish of the world?

Alice glanced down at her feet, battered, bruised and covered in dirt. Her legs were the same, her silk shorts too and the hoodie was getting increasingly grubby. Even so, she didn't belong here. It hurt more than she cared to admit. Who would want to belong in a world of junk? By all reasoning she should have been happy that she didn't belong here. Sarah had been welcomed here though, her room had appeared here, with all her belongings. Alice glanced about; did she have a room? Nothing appeared. She was getting distracted. "Can you tell…" she turned back to the junk lady, but she was gone.

Alone once more she continued down the path, making quicker progress now that she wasn't struggling over uneven terrain that constantly shifted. Were there more of those junk ladies in the actual heaps? What if the whole area was a mess of junk ladies that had just accumulated so much they could no longer move? She shivered despite herself at the thought of all the potentially trapped creatures. That wasn't a pleasant thought. Time continued to tick but the concern she had felt was easing, every now and again she could glimpse part of the goblin castle or the goblin city. She was getting closer, noticeably closer. At this rate, she'd be there in plenty of time. Which made her suspicious, why would he let her get so close so quickly?

Another corner, another row of towering junk and another junk lady. This one didn't have as much junk piled on her back as the other, she almost looked… human? Her eyes weren't the black beads of the other yet. There was a distinctly human element to the one that stood before her. Alice stumbled to a stop as this new creature stumbled towards her, too thin fingers reaching for her and wide eyes locking her in place. "Have you come for me?"

"Come for you?"

"Rebecca," the junk lady whispered, stroking her fingers through Alice's hair. She shuddered despite herself but couldn't bring herself to pull away.

"My name's Alice," Alice stated, taking the junk lady's hand in her own. The bony fingers making her cringe, but it was less disturbing than her stroking her hair.

"No, you're Rebecca, you promised to come back for me," the junk lady blinked, her eyes widening.

"I'm Alice, just Alice. I don't know a Rebecca, I'm sorry."

"You're her, you just don't remember. You promised me."

"I'm sorry," Alice extricated herself from the junk lady's grasp and started to walk away.

"Did you ever rescue Jay?"

Alice stopped instantly, a vice about her heart. Jay, was that Jacob? Had he ever had a nickname? Was that why Jareth didn't recognise his name? She turned to look back at the junk lady, took in her half human face. "Do you mean Jacob?"

"You have a brother," she continued, apparently oblivious to Alice now. "So did I. I just, I don't remember him anymore. I think he's lost."

Her blood ran cold. She glanced down the corridors to where another junk lady wandered aimlessly. Were these… were these all Sarah's that hadn't managed to rescue their brothers? She turned back to the half human, half junk lady, one of the more recent perhaps. Her skin crawled, was this her fate if she didn't get to the caste… Surely, he wouldn't condemn anyone to such a fate? It seemed preposterous, too cruel. "What's your name?" Alice whispered, half dreading the answer that she knew would fall from the creature's lips.

"Sarah…"

Alice released a shaky breath, her worst fears confirmed. If she failed this quest, this could be her fate. Wandering the junk piles until she died, she wondered absently if it was possible for them to die. She glanced up at the castle, she would not meet her fate here. At worse, she'd still finish near the castle. A hand clasped about her wrist. Alice glanced down, Sarah's hand, bony and leathered held on to her as if she were a lifeline. "I'll help you, Sarah. Can you get me to the castle? We'll find your brother."

The twisted grin of a leathered face, a whispered thank you and then she started to walk. Away from the castle, Alice glanced back. Perhaps she had been going wrong before. Sarah had often mentioned in her book that sometimes you had to go the wrong way in the Labyrinth to get on the right path. Had her feet been leading her wrong? It was possible, she had been relying on a gut feeling, with no idea where it came from. For all she knew, Jareth was twisting her senses. Together they walked down several corridors, Alice trusting Sarah's knowledge of the labyrinth of the junk piles. They twisted and turned more as they continued.

It was such a pleasant walk, a steady pace, a gentle pat on her hand every now and again, reassuring her. Time and thought began to slip from, they didn't really matter. She had a guide, wherever they were going, they would get there eventually. Not that she really knew where they were going. There had been something, there was an itch at the back of her mind but at the pat on her hand soothed it away. Well, that didn't really matter either. Alice smiled without a care; this was so wonderfully soothing. The piles of junk were so calming, it was so easy to admire how well they all balanced. With all these belongings how could anyone want for anything? A grandfather clock chimed distantly, she liked clocks. Why did it make her nervous? There was no more soothing noise than that of a tuned and maintained clock that played a beautiful tune. So why was this one causing her heart to flutter and her breath to catch?

What time was it? Did it matter? Why did it feel like it mattered? Thinking was so hard. Like wading through damp cotton wool. It shouldn't be so hard. Time… time… the castle. Alice stalled, grinding to a halt only to be tugged on by Sarah's firm grip and steady step. She glanced about her, panic rising, what time was it? How long… where was the castle? When had the walls got so high! They seemed to be going further into the junk piles, rather than out. It wasn't right, this wasn't where she needed to be.

"Sarah? I think we're going the wrong way," Alice stated, trying to ease her arm free from the tight grip. The fog was lifting, she needed to get to the goblin castle. She couldn't remember why exactly but she knew that she needed to get there, it was where she needed to be.

"No, this is the way," Sarah continued regardless.

"No, Sarah, the castle is in the other direction," Alice argued, twisting her arm violently but the creature's grip never changed.

She needed to get free, she needed to get to the castle. This was not the right way and Sarah's grip wasn't lessening. If she couldn't pull away, then perhaps she could run forwards and lose her that way. Lunging forwards, she finally ripped her arm free of Sarah's grasp, the creature's nails scratching her arm painfully as she broke free. She glanced down at the angry red marks, her skin wasn't broken. Her mind started to clear, she needed to get to the goblin castle because of someone. Sarah continued wandering past her, patting the air where her hand had been previously, she muttered something about the castle and brothers. The name Rebecca fell from her lips once more and clarity returned with the full force of a sledgehammer. Alice reeled as a pounding headache started, her hands pressing against her throbbing temples. The real Sarah was in the castle, her brother, she needed to complete the Labyrinth to rescue her and break the Goblin King's curse.

She started to jog in the opposite direction but stumbled to a halt as her thought's caught up with what the junk Sarah had said. Why would Jareth have brought someone called Rebecca here? It didn't make sense. Had the creature just remembered the name from her past, but that wouldn't explain the brother, Jay. The sound of a distant clock chiming brought her back to the pressing issue. How much time had she lost?


	14. Chapter 13

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just wanted to say thank you so much to all those who have reviewed this story. Your feedback means the world to me and inspires me to continue, I appreciate you taking the time to read my story, I love that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Thank you so much for taking the time to review.

* * *

Sarah shuffled uncomfortably, even primped and polished to the best of Thorn's abilities she still didn't look right in the fae clothing. The black dress had fallen over her frame like a glove, it accentuated every iota of her being but somehow, she still didn't seem to glow like she felt she should. She had never felt so self-conscious either. The thin strips of material barely covered her chest, the simple twist that Thorn had used to fasten them behind her neck felt as if it would slip free any minute. She wondered briefly if that was the intention. There was nothing she wouldn't put past the goblins or their King.

They'd switched between multitudes of jewels and gems before settling on a simple set of twisted fine chains that dangled a discreet stream of diamonds between her breasts, the longest strand going all the way down to her stomach. Every time she moved it traced over her skin like a lover's breath before a kiss. It was doing nothing to help her plan her next seduction. It turned every step into a memory of that kiss, the press of his body against hers, they way he'd moved to pin her. That raw, primal energy that he'd lost control of, if only for a split second. She'd never felt anyone respond to her like that before, it was… intoxicating. Releasing a shaky sigh, she headed for the doorway once more, ignoring the glimmer of her reflection. There was an expanse of skin that she would prefer not to acknowledge for fear of losing her nerve further. This was a dress to wear out, this was what the fae wore on a 'normal' day, not in the bedroom or private company, Thorn had positively torn her a new one for suggesting it was only meant for the bedroom. Such beauty was meant to be seen and admired after all.

Besides, if she stayed here, she would be queen and would have to start dressing as such. Panic had set in at that comment, followed by the thoughts of… if she stayed. What would happen to Toby? Her family? Her belongings? Everything that she had achieved in the real world. Would anyone remember her, or would she just fade away. Only a few hours had passed, no one would have noticed her disappearance yet. A pang of guilt hit her; she pressed a hand to her heart. What if Toby came looking for her? What if he read the books following her disappearance and made the connection? Her heart was racing. It was almost hurting in its intensity. She needed another plan.

Running a hand through her hair she caught the tiara, it snagged and pulled at a few strands of perfectly groomed hair but didn't fall loose. Thorn knew her job too well to allow that to happen. The chill of the metal against her fingertips brought her back to the moment at hand. She knew what she needed to do. Her job was to seduce Jareth, distract him for long enough for Alice to reach the castle and free them both. Then she could decide if she stayed or not. Surely if it was her choice then she could choose to return home for just long enough to reassure everyone that she was alright. He could not keep her a prisoner if she chose to stay. As Thorn had said, as the tiara attested to, if she stayed, she would become Queen and a fae, subject to no one's rule… but his.

Settled on her plan she pushed aside the memories of Toby and her family and headed towards the throne room once more. All she had to do was distract him, from there the rest would fall into place. Thorn had given her directions this time, apparently wanting her to get there as much as she did, and she suspected the Goblin King may have been behind that too. There was always the possibility that he didn't want a forced bride, that he wanted her to choose him. After all, she had resisted and denied him so much previously. This would be a balm to soothe his ego if she chose him over the world and her life back home. Unless it wasn't a choice, perhaps this was where she belonged, and he knew better. Perhaps he knew that she had always belonged to him. She turned the corner and the archway she remembered from her previous run through the Labyrinth greeted her.

"What if she never remembers?" Jareth's voice carried through the archway and echoed down the corridor. There were less tapestries on the walls, everything looked less than it had been. She wasn't sure why she had only just noticed but it faded into insignificance at his words.

"Well, why wouldn't she remember?" a second voice whispered through.

"It's been centuries," Jareth continued.

"When she's fae again it'll all come back," the unknown voice stated calmly. "Thorn has been giving her the peaches, eventually she will remember who and what she is."

"When she's fae again, how long will that be though? I kissed her, that should have been enough," Jareth snapped impatiently, causing Sarah to step back despite herself at his anger. Her mind reeling that the peach had not been intended to take her into a dream world but to bring her back to reality. This reality… she was a fae?

Her foot caught against a vase, it toppled over and rolled away. Too busy trying to catch it she was caught by surprise when a boot landed on it, stopping it dead. Colour returned to her cheeks as she carefully reached for the vase, the boot moved away. She followed it with her eyes, from the tip of the leather clad toe up to the grey leggings, her eyes skirted around the bulge that tempted her to just pause for a minute and look. He never had been subtle; she didn't care to admit that bulge had haunted her dreams and some waking moments. Quickly she found his face, that arrogant smirk, he knew exactly where she'd been looking and what she'd been thinking. His head tipped slightly to the side as he followed the trail of chain and diamond to its end, grazing just below her naked belly button. This was out of her league. She wasn't a seductress, others would have given a quick retort, a sharp response or a whispered tease. Instead, Sarah stood in silence with a vase in her hands and cheeks redder than a screaming child mid tantrum. He stepped forwards, taking the vase calmly from her before tossing it over his shoulder. It shattered with an echo.

There was a strange silence that settled between them, Sarah fought to stay still under his gaze and not fold her arms over her chest or turn away. The least she could do was leave herself to be admired, she couldn't mess that up. He was just staring… did she, should she say something? Her throat had practically clamped itself shut and her mouth and lips were drier than a desert. "My, my what a change of dress," he stated calmly, a look in his eye she hadn't seen before.

"I see you haven't still," she blushed deeper. Great work Sarah, that was a fantastic attempt at flirtation. Imply that the Goblin King had nothing more than what he was already wearing. Her cheeks were burning almost painfully now.

"I like it when you blush," Jareth continued, a slight smile threatening to break through his otherwise straight face.

"You like me off balance, you like to have control," Sarah snapped despite herself. She was certainly feeling both were correct as of this precise moment. His eyes were following the path of the diamond again but returned to hers at her tone. A little glint of amusement in his eyes and that quirk more prevalent on his lip.

"That's how you like me too, in control, supporting you, helping you," he stepped closer, his eyes locked with hers.

"No, you've never helped me," Sarah whispered, stepping backwards, feeling uncomfortable.

"I removed the child, I changed time, I did and became everything you asked of me. I gave you power… I gave you every opportunity, but you threw them all back. Like the petulant child you were," Jareth took another step, almost threateningly and she stepped back again, only to collide with another wall. This was becoming a disturbing theme in their interactions.

"You gave me nothing, you stole my brother, stole me and now have Alice running your Labyrinth," Sarah argued. "How is that helping or supporting?"

"I have no interest in Alice, I care not if she even survives the Labyrinth. There is no one that can complete my Labyrinth in the time she has, not even you. As you well know," he leaned closer, eyes dancing with amusement. "Anyway, she's starting to lose her way," he held up a crystal ball between them.

Sarah looked intently into the crystal, the junk piles and the junk ladies. Everything brown, drab and dirty, then a bob of red. It disappeared for a moment then reappeared as the crystal seemed to zoom in. A small tower of junk tottered next to Alice, her red hoodie stained as the junk lady clasped her wrist and led her deeper into the piles. "That's not, Alice wouldn't get so easily distracted," Sarah tried to argue.

"I have my ways," he whispered against her ear, was he just breathing more heavily. When had he gotten so close? The corridor was too warm. Sarah looked at his lips, they were so close to her. His breath was on her cheek, his eyes on hers, looking down only slightly as she looked up at him. A gloved hand trailed down her shoulder, she released a shaky breath despite herself. If he just leaned forwards, she could just tilt her head up slightly. So close, so unnaturally close. The heat off his body registered where the material of her dress finished. It was almost too cool underneath the material, as if it was a shield. She wanted to rip it off, to feel the heat all over. Was he using magic?

She decided she didn't care, magic or not, she wanted him to touch her. That heat needed to consume her. He wasn't going to refuse her, she knew he wouldn't step away, if she started this, he would finish it. The thrill shot through her core sharper and hotter than any bolt of lightning, it stole her breath. Nothing else mattered, she just wanted him to touch her. Sarah leaned forwards, pressing her lips to his, her hand running up his chest to wrap into the ruffled shirt and pull him closer.


	15. Chapter 14

Alice clambered over the last roll of junk, the pile still settling in the dust as she stumbled down the other side. She was banking on whoever had just deposited it having left the door open into the Goblin City. That meant she needed to be quick. Her feet were too sore, the compacted dirt of the junk piles, the smooth tiles of the hedge and the stone labyrinths had taken their toll. Covered in dust, dirt and the odd leaf she could have almost been a goblin in appearance. Absently she wondered if that would help her to pass through the Goblin City unhindered, she doubted it. Surely the Goblin King would be getting twitchy now.

Absently she contemplated why he had not returned to try and delay or distract her further as she wandered closer to the imposing outer walls of the city. There was no reason, unless he just wanted to lose. That was an impossibility, Jareth never willingly lost anything. The name caused her to pause, she'd never used his name before, in either thought or speech. He had always been the Goblin King to her, now his name came more easily than his title. Alice let a soft sigh out, her fingers knotted into her hair, everything was just wrong. She couldn't remember her adopted parents, their names, their faces, it had all faded away slowly like a distant dream broken in the morning light. Sarah was still there though, a breath of fresh air in her slowly decaying thoughts. The Labyrinth was claiming her mind, she could feel it seeping away with every step she took. Perhaps this was why Jareth hadn't returned to stall her. There was no need to intervene if her own mind defeated her.

Annoyed, she tugged her hoodie down once more. It kept riding up, leaving a freezing gap for air to penetrate and chill her stomach. Everything hurt, her mood was through the floor and she no longer knew what time it was or how long she had left. It was so tempting to just sit on the steps in front of her and stop. To let Jareth win and forfeit herself, Sarah and whatever creature it was that she had come to rescue also. Was there anyone else? There was something there, a sense of another life depending on her, but no face or name came to mind. Silently she dropped on to the steps, wrapping her arms around her legs and letting her body bend until her forehead rested on her knees. Bone shattering weariness consumed her. For a time, she rested there, no thoughts running through her mind and the pain slowly began to ease.

"Whatcha doing there?" a voice called out from behind her.

Alice shot upright, turning to the source of the voice, suddenly wide awake. A small goblin female stood before her, her thick hair in pigtails that were so stiff they stuck straight out of either side of her head.

"I said, whatcha doing there? Are you dumb?" the goblin snapped, stamping her foot and pointing at Alice furiously.

"My name's Sarah, I need to get to the castle," Alice blurted out without thinking.

"Oh, you," the goblin huffed, folding her arms and looking her up and down. "Couldn't you have put some better clothes on? You can't have an audience with the King looking like that," Alice glanced down at the too short hoodie and the now too badly stained to save silk pants. "Come on, we'll find something for you to wear and get you to the castle. He'll be happy to see you. Not supposed to go wandering, told me that you weren't."

The goblin waved for her to follow and approached the heavy-set doors set back from the steps. Alice stared at them in shock, she'd been so close when she'd given up. There was most likely a lesson she should have taken from this, but she was too bone weary to really think it through anymore. She wondered if the goblin would help her, like she said, but as she was contemplating it being a trick and trying to think of ways to outsmart the goblin, the small creature clicked her fingers. Silently the doors swung open before them and the goblin waved for Alice to follow her through. Alice did as she was told, even if the goblin was tricking her it would get her inside the insurmountable walls. Her eyes took in the wasted city that crumbled about them, there was no one about. It looked like a ghost town. Doors hung off hinges, windows were wide open and the interiors undisturbed but covered in dust. Holes rested in some walls, the marks of cannon fire and boulder impacts still tarnished the outside of some buildings. The small goblin wandered her way closer to the castle.

"Where is everyone?" Alice asked, her voice echoing in the chilling silence.

"They all left years ago," the goblin muttered as she turned a corner, away from the castle. Alice contemplated correcting her but remembered the promise of better clothing. She was cold, even the warm afternoon autumn air was chilling her.

"Why did they leave?" she queried as the goblin ushered her into a house with a normal sized door, not goblin sized.

"City's dying, land's dying, they're leaving before the war starts," the goblin motioned for her to sit down next to a table.

"War?"

"Aye, war, it's the changing of the seasons again. Same every year," the goblin placed a peach before Alice and then began to pull out reams of material.

Alice looked at it suspiciously before her stomach growled and insisted, she bit into it. Juice trailed down her chin, sweet and tangy at the same time. Carefully she put it back down, watching the goblin suspiciously. She remembered Sarah's book, where Hoggle had given her a peach and she had slipped into a dream of a glamorous, other worldly ball. "Are you trying to poison me?"

"If I was, you'd be dead already," the goblin chortled, snipping into a bolt of cloth and beginning to stitch with disturbing efficiency.

"The peach?"

"Won't bother you unless you eat too many of them, then you'll turn into one of them. But that's the plan so, doesn't really matter does it. It'll take a few centuries though," the goblin sighed, twisting a piece of material and fastening it carefully to the rest.

"One of them?"

"I thought you said you were Sarah?" the goblin lowered her materials warily. Beady eyes stared into hers.

"I am," Alice half-lied carefully. The goblin hmphed, muttered about human idiocy and continued with her stitching.

Alice took in her surroundings, there were no clocks, just row upon row of elaborate material in colours, patterns and textures that defied belief. She reached to stroke some of the finest material she'd ever seen, it shimmered under her touch. "Spider silk, tough as diamonds, softer than baby skin and rarer than any precious gem," the goblin informed her.

"You serve the Goblin King?"

"Naturally, he likes his fine materials. When we have our Queen back, I'll make her gowns too. Then their children's," the goblin sighed wistfully. "'Tis such a shame."

"What is?" Alice asked, despite herself.

"No one remembers her, who she was, how she was stolen or why. All we know is she was taken, his only clue was the name Sarah," the goblin sniffled, sighed once more and began to work on the hem of what appeared to be a floor length dress. "Still, you're back now so we may yet escape Winter."

Alice watched the goblin silently. Nimble fingers tugged the stitches tight but with an unerring regularity. The material never rippled out of shape once. She reached for the peach once more, too hungry to refuse it, curse or not. By the time she was down to the stone the goblin was fastening the last decorative elements to an effortlessly floating dress. It looked like coloured air. "Best get you washed," the goblin pointed towards a bucket and sponge. "Take that out that door, it's a small courtyard. Not that there's anyone to see."

"Thank you, Bracken," Alice reached for the bucket, grasping the handle and lifting it carefully.

"How do you know my name?" the goblin lowered her work, watching her suspiciously. Alice started, had she not asked for it? She racked her brain over the conversation they'd had. There had been no exchange of names, other than Alice giving her first name. "Has he mentioned me?"

"The Goblin King?" Alice queried, the small goblin nodded, looking hopefully at her from behind the table. "Of course, I mean… you are the main clothier for the castle for a reason. He holds you in high regard."

The words fell easily, almost as if they were a known fact and not a lie to cover her uncomfortable knowledge of the goblin's name. It seemed to placate the small creature who beamed at her before going back to the dress. Alice released a shaky breath and headed for the courtyard. Her thoughts swirled chaotically as she began to scrub the travel dirt and grime from her body. Carefully she peeled off the discoloured hoodie, grateful she'd put on a bralette for the night. By the time she was finished her skin was pink from the aggravation of the rough sponge. She reasoned that at least she was clean, the irritation would pass. Dropping the sponge back in the now empty bucket she turned back to the goblin's house.

As she entered the room, she spotted the dress, hung from a peg on the wall. It stole her breath. Twisted material made up a collar that wrapped about her neck, from there the twists slowly opened into a smooth bodice. Then tightened again into a multitude of knots that appeared like a belt of roses before exploding out of their twists into the skirt. It seemed to move even without a breeze. Alice dropped the bucket without thought, taken aback by the divine piece before her.

It was a physical representation of spring, the softness of growing warmth, the hardness of the ice that still settled on the ground and the growing colours of a spring day from the mute of winter. "Bracken…" her words were stolen with awe.

"Let's get you in it shall we?"


	16. Chapter 15

Sarah kissed him desperately, lost in the touch, the pressure of him against her. The way he moved against her, never breaking any contact while steering them slowly through corridors. She wanted rid of the clothing, both his and her own but mostly his. Her fingers found the buttons of his gilet and made quick work snapping them open. Jareth caught her hands neatly and held them within one of his own as he held a door open with the other. Silently he turned her and pushed her through. She stumbled slightly, disorientated by the kiss, his touch, the sudden lack of him against her, the change of rooms, everything. It was like drinking wine that heady loss of all senses but pleasure. The knock of a key turning and then being dropped on a table made her turn back towards the door, instead of continuing to wander aimlessly into the room. No sooner had she turned then he was there again.

A hand against her cheek, a gloved thumb gently stroking over her cheekbone, grounding her, drawing her back to focus solely on him. The other hand trailed over her bare shoulder, down to her wrist. With undue care he lifted her hand to his lips, kissing at the pulse in her wrist. Her heart skipped more beats than she dared to count. She was caught, like a deer in headlights, the Goblin King of her nightmares now stirring thoughts, feelings and sensations she had refused to acknowledge in any of her memories. She should have recoiled, should have not let her body react so willing to his, but this was out of her control. Her voice was gone, lost in lust and desire, her lips parted to draw breath that he seemed to steal without once touching her lips as he worked his kisses up her arm.

By the time he reached her shoulder she wasn't sure where she ended and he began, until his lips met her bare collarbone. Fingers stroked over her shoulders, soothing and distracting as they crept closer to the knot of the dress at the back of her neck. She turned her face to inhale his scent as he pressed a final kiss to the side of her throat, finished with the gentlest use of his teeth against her skin. It made her breath hitch, heat pooled in her belly and she was sure that the smallest of 'bites' was solely responsible for the wet sensation between her thighs. She was hypnotised by him, his touch, his breath, his very presence. He could do anything to her, and she would thank him for it.

His eyes met hers, fingers gently stroking over her face once more, he was looking at her as if she was the world. Her breath hitched as the world fell down around her, the ensuing kiss caught her off guard. Lighter than previously, the softest of touches, the gentlest inquisition to explore her mouth. She responded happily, her eyes slipping closed as his tongue met hers tentatively. This was heaven, she was sure she'd died, how could one man create such peace in her and at the same time such fire? Willingly she deepened the kiss, wanting more of him, for it to never stop. Her fingers tightened in his shirt once more, gripping the material as if it was a lifeline to stop her from falling. She wanted the fall though, hungered for it more than she had wanted anything.

Inquisitive fingers began to work at the knot at the back of her neck and Sarah finally understood why Thorn had made it so loose. Within seconds the fragile material fluttered down to blend into the skirt, leaving her bare from the waist up. He hadn't broken the kiss for a second, utterly intent on keeping her hypnotised. She would never complain, but when had he started moving her? The backs of her knees collided with the side of the bed, a hand on the small of her back prevented her from collapsing backwards instantly but instead lowered her with unnerving gentleness as he leaned with her. Some part of her brain registered his knee to her left, taking their weight until she rested on top of the silk cover. She wanted him against her, wanted to feel his body with hers. He was slowly easing himself to his knees, his hands stroking down the sides of her body, his lips following the trail of the diamonds that now splayed over her bare chest and stomach.

A gloved hand brushed over her right breast, fingers gently playing with an erect nipple. Lips pressed against the soft curve as his left hand trailed lower. Sarah couldn't catch her breath anymore, it paused in anticipation with every new tingle of a nerve. A tongue flicked out, catching her nipple, making her back arch and a low moan escape her lips. The soft breath that he released over the damp skin made her shudder, the changes in temperature eliciting an even tighter pucker. She reached for him, wanting to pull him closer but he neatly caught her hands in his own and pinned them above her head. His body pressed against hers for a moment as he stretched over her. She pushed herself against him, her words lost and instinct taking over.

"Sarah…" he warned, but it was only a half threat. A warning not to rush him.

Groaning quietly, she fought to restrain herself. It was agonising pleasure, to wait for him to make his move. He seemed to be enjoying her restraint more than she cared to acknowledge. She was all but vibrating with the tension, caught between the desire for immediate reward and the knowledge of what awaited if she was patient. Slowly he released her wrists, his mouth working over her breast warmly once more. His hands joined his ministrations, gentle fingers stroking, pressing, drawing every nerve out that could possibly feed back pleasure. Her breathing shuddered out of control, she wanted more, needed more. Her very sanity was threatening, and he hadn't done anything more than work on her breast and trail sensuous fingers over points of her body that she didn't even know about.

Jareth took his time, slowly transferring his attention to her left breast and repeating the painstaking process of drawing out every iota of sensation. Sarah moaned in frustration, she just wanted him to take some of the building pressure from her core. He'd taken undue care not to make any contact with her hips. Even when she arched against him, his body seemed to move out of the way, denying her any release from pressure or contact. She couldn't look at him, keeping her eyes closed and her arms folded over them to stop from grabbing at him. The fear of him stopping dramatically outweighed the desire to urge him on and he knew it, they were both aware that he was taking just as much pleasure in her restraint as she was suffering for it.

Finally, he moved on, Sarah battled between panting for breath and holding it in anticipation as his lips worked lower. Kisses, gentle and soft worked along her lower ribcage, following the trail of a couple of chains and diamonds before coming back to her belly. His hand splayed over her stomach, warm and cold at the same time. It caused heat and desire to radiate out from every fingertip. Fingers hooked into the top of the skirt, taking the hint she lifted her hips and let the remainder of the dress be pulled away. She heard the material slither to a halt, tossed carelessly away. Hands ran over her knees, a kiss on her hip bone, and then a body pressing between her legs, urging her to open them. Slowly she did as he asked, her heart was in her throat, she bit into her arm as a breath skirted over her inner thigh, followed by a kiss that slowly crept higher. She was going to hyperventilate; her breath was short and sharp in anticipation of a touch where she most wanted contact. Instead his lips went up and over, working across the flat plane of her stomach and avoiding all contact with her core.

Sarah could feel his smile against her skin, the insane amount of pleasure he was taking from this unfair torture. She racked her brain as to how she could turn the tables, how she could get him to feel the same intense desire and pressure as her. Before anything could cross her mind, all thought became lost as his tongue eased its way between her folds, brushing right against the bundle of nerves that would send fireworks through her brain. The world exploded behind her closed eyelids, colour and heat flooded her senses, the moan ripped from her throat as her entire body tensed and arched. His hands landed on her thighs, keeping her lower body still as he continued to slowly work his tongue into every intimate spot.

"Please, please," Sarah felt the words leave her lips without any conscious thought. Slowly the trembling orgasm eased off, the waves hitting less hard each time until she could finally catch her breath. For a moment the most she could do was lie there, panting and waiting for the world to stop spinning. It was taking an eternity, hands still rested on her thighs, stroked tenderly along the aching muscles that had vibrated only moments before.

"I forgot that humans can't handle as much pleasure as fae," Jareth whispered from between her thighs, his breath softly whispering over her sweat sheened skin.

Sarah's mind reeled, there was more to feel. How did the fae cope? If he hadn't stopped at her request, she was convinced that she would have lost her mind. Perhaps that had always been his intention. Whatever his intention was she didn't want to stop now, she wanted more. Quicker than she thought possible in her momentarily spent state she sat up, wrapped an arm about his shoulders and pressed her lips to his. She could taste herself on his lips and pressed herself closer to him. Her hands began to work on the buttons of his shirt as he held her close, helping her to balance precariously on the edge of the bed. She wanted to balance out the clothing issue as quickly as possible.


	17. Chapter 16

The waistcoat was the first victim to Sarah's assault, Jareth shrugging out of it easily as Sarah almost ripped it from his frame. That left only the shirt, gloves, leggings, and boots. Throwing the gilet away her hands returned to his chest, only to encounter skin instead of a shirt. Somehow, mid-kiss, he'd removed it himself without her noticing. Her fingers traced over lean muscles, smooth skin, and an unnatural heat. She leaned backwards to look at him, reluctant to leave the kiss but unsure what it was that she was feeling. He watched her carefully, lips slightly open, it was almost enough to distract her.

"You're warm," she whispered into the eerie silence.

"Yes, fae are colder than humans to the touch," Jareth sank down to sit on his knees, letting her see more of him.

"So why are you warm?" Sarah wanted to lean forwards, forget the question and just resume the pleasure. He smiled crookedly.

"I thought it would be more comfortable for you. Until you return to me," Jareth folded his hands in his lap, watching her in amusement. It irked her.

"Return to you?"

"Yes, once you're fae again," Jareth continued. "You won't notice the difference then because we'll be the same."

"Fae?"

"Sarah… this is getting tiresome," he sighed in visible irritation and stood up, heading for a side table where there was a glass decanter of wine and two glass goblets.

"I don't understand," Sarah stated, trying not to get too distracted by his effortless movements, that lean physique.

"You were stolen from me, you no longer know who you are, or what you are. I've spent more lifetimes of humans than I care to recall searching for you with nothing more than your name left as a clue," Jareth held out a glass of wine to her, sipping from his own.

Sarah took it, downing a good portion of the goblet in one gulp. This was unreal, was she a lost fae? Not just any lost fae but Jareth's… what had she been to him? Jareth dropped onto the bed, effortlessly elegant as he leaned back against the pile of pillows and watched her, idly sipping at his wine. She let the silence sit between them for a while, let the potential realisation creep in. The reason she felt like she belonged in the Labyrinth was because she did. "How do I remember…?"

"We finish our marriage ceremony that we started all those centuries ago, all that is left to do is to consummate it," Jareth swirled the wine casually, the goblet balanced between his ethereally long fingers, still gloved. "Once it is completed you should remember everything and return to who you truly are."

"So, we just have to have sex?" Sarah declared in surprise.

"No, you have to fall in love with me again. Human sentimentality makes the task easier, otherwise we could be at this for another eternity. Not that I would necessarily complain about that. However, you weren't exactly convinced at our first meeting," Jareth smiled wickedly, draining his goblet. "I'd prefer not to relate the tale to you right now, I would rather you lost your little human illusion and remembered for yourself."

"Humans don't fall in love by having sex," Sarah stated, watching as he put the goblet down on the side table.

"Oh, but you do, with fae you do. It's quite comical how weak you are, how weak all humans are," Jareth folded his legs casually.

"I am not weak," Sarah started.

"Yes, you are, do you think for one moment I didn't see how you looked at me all those years ago? That simple lust in your young features. You wanted me to take you in the ruins. I saw it in your face, your eyes… down to your very soul," Jareth grinned. "All I had to do was wait, after you said those words, after you bested the Labyrinth, I knew it was you. I knew you'd return."

"How?"

"This is where you're meant to be Sarah," Jareth sighed. "You would always come back to where you belong."

"So, those words, you have no power…"

"That's what you said when we very first met, that's how I knew it was you. It was the only reason I let you go and your brother," Jareth finished, watching her take in the information. "You were always mine Sarah. I have loved you for centuries without you knowing… without you remembering."

Sarah glanced back at him, she finished the wine, placed her goblet besides his and then carefully crawled over the bed to him. On all fours she leaned over him, capturing his lips gently. She wanted to remember, wanted to see him how she had once seen him, to fit into his world once more. The false warmth was still there, but it didn't offend her as much as previously. His hands brushed her hair over her shoulders, out of the way as she sat on his hips, feeling a growing bulge against her inner thigh through his leggings. Some part of her brain was arguing that this was ridiculous but mostly it was being restrained and silenced by the rest of her brain that was holding its breath and cheering her on. The Goblin King was between her naked thighs, she was sat on his lap stark naked. He'd already done things to her with his tongue, clever, devilish things, and she wanted more.

She rolled her hips over his, drawing a slight moan from his lips, that made her tremble. She wanted to hear that noise again, once more she moved, gently pressing the bulge. He sat up quickly, wrapped his arms about her warmly before tumbling them both over until he was on top of her, lips on hers, claiming and dominating. Hands trailed over her body, stroking, pressing, gripping, and then gone momentarily as he battled with the leggings and boots. She wanted to help but he was too quick for her, his lips only leaving hers for a second as he kicked the discarded attire away. One hand trailed back down, working between their bodies until gentle, inquiring gloved fingers brushed against her clit. Fireworks set off in her mind's eyes for a moment before her reality became pinprick sharp as she felt skin against her entrance.

A thumb circled her clit tantalisingly gently, keeping her painfully on the edge of a second orgasm. His lips left hers, trailing down to her throat and instead working over her now furiously skipping pulse. Her breath was ragged with anticipation and desire. His weight shifted over her. The full length of his cock rubbed against her as he adjusted himself once more. She moaned, arched, and contemplated begging, he would have enjoyed that too much though, she wasn't going to let herself be caught out like that. Jareth seemed to have other ideas though, the gentlest of bites on her throat ripped a moan she didn't know she could make from her throat. Instinctively her body arched against him, arms wrapping about him, pulling him closer, the words begging him to complete and fill her almost fell from her lips. She stopped herself at the last moment, he would not win, not now, not after he'd just called her weak.

He seemed to have understood her game, wickedly he removed his heated body from hers, sliding down until his lips were once again hovering over her core. Sarah reached for his hands, wanting to pull him back up but every time she thought she'd made contact he slipped out of reach. Arms snaked about her thighs and held them open, hands pressing over her hips to keep her still. Then he was there again, his tongue doing things no tongue should be able to do. She tried to remember how to breathe as her body betrayed her once more. Her heart threatened to break her ribs as her fingers tangled into her hair, he was going to break her. The wave started to build, remembering what else he was capable of. It built in heat and power until she could feel the very edge of it, she was so close to another earth-shattering orgasm.

Without warning he was gone, his hands from her hips, his tongue from her core but the wave stayed. "No, please, don't stop, don't ever stop," Sarah blurted without thinking as he smirked at her from his seated position at the end of the bed.

"Tell me what you want Sarah," Jareth whispered as she groaned, trying to hold her brain together as her body writhed, desperate to break that denied release. She did not want to beg. She would not beg. "Sarah?"

"Please," her voice cracked with the effort of trying to stop it but every iota of her being was screaming for him. Just for him but he didn't move. "Jareth, please."

"Please what Sarah? You must be specific," he purred, that assured smile plastered over his face. She groaned, what did he want from her?

"Please, please complete me Jareth," she begged, her voice cracking with the genuine emotion she laced through it.

Hands rested on her feet, stroked up her bare legs, pressed her thighs open, lips caressed against her inner thigh, a tongue flicked over her clit as his hands rode up her stomach. They rested on her breasts momentarily, stroking the soft skin as he repositioned himself between her legs. With exaggerated care he lowered himself to cover her completely, his eyes holding hers, keeping her focused on him. Not that she could have looked away if she'd even wanted to. His lips met hers, his arms eased under her shoulders, holding her close as she wrapped her arms about his upper body also. Her face buried into the crook between his throat and shoulder, that unnatural heat almost overwhelming with her own. With a single smooth flex of his hips he eased himself into her and the world didn't fall, it shattered.


	18. Chapter 17

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Apologies for the delay, life has been... interesting. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Sarah slowly came back to the moment, her arms wrapped about the lean frame of the Goblin King, her legs entwined with his and his hips pressed as tightly into hers as possible. Nerves and senses slowly came back to her, the feeling of his carefully controlled breath, the unnatural heat, the weight of his body, the tingle in her stomach and the pressure of him inside her. He was so still, unnaturally still. Carefully she held him, wondering what to do. Then he moved, slowly, painfully slowly, but enough to set her on fire again. He was right, fae could do unnatural things to humans. His hips worked over hers with unerring rhythm, every stroke lighting a new fire until her breath was hitching with every move. How did he know just how to move to hit every single spot to break her?

Lips captured hers, grounded her and kept her present. Her breath steadied, it met his rhythm and she moved with him. Fighting hard to stay with him rather than getting lost in the sensations that tore through her with a vicious beauty. He seemed to relax against her as she regained control of herself. Slowly the rhythm balanced between them, every movement mirrored in the other. Her legs wrapped about his hips, pulling him closer to her, he didn't resist. Taking the opportunity to go deeper, pushing her hips into more of a tilt and hitting an entirely new hotspot of pleasure. Sarah moaned against his lips, he nipped at her lower lip gently. His chest pressing against hers, arms still wrapped about her torso, keeping her flush against him and lips locked with hers in a lazy kiss that matched the tempo he had built with his body.

Sarah wanted more, much more. This leisurely pace was building the flames but slowly, so slowly. It wasn't fair that he got to determine everything and stay in control. Surely there was something she could do to turn the tables and make him beg her also. One arm released from her shoulder, stroking down her side, under her hip to grab her butt and pull her hips into another new angle. For a moment conscious thought escaped her as the pressure and movement changed. Her breath hitched, her nails dug into his skin and she groaned at the pleasure that coursed through her, her lips leaving his for a moment as she arched. He didn't stop, instead kissing the bare expanse of her throat, his hand staying put and supporting her, heat radiating from his fingertips. She was going to come, she could feel it starting to build again, trapped in his arms, there was no escape. He had full control of her, and he was playing her like an expert works a finely tuned violin from the deepest to the highest notes. The loss of control was almost as much of an aphrodisiac, she'd spent so long with men that expected her to worship them first. That had lain back and let her do the work. To have everything taken from her and to be handled so expertly was intoxicating.

Everything was starting to tense in anticipation of the fall once more, she could feel every muscle singing as he continued his effortless dance over her body. She wanted to return the favour, but he wasn't going to let her, she couldn't move, she could only receive. Her arms tightened about him as the rocking of his hips began to claim her sanity. His hands stopped gripping her, instead driving into the bed on either side, his breath only hitching once before he clenched his hands in the sheets beneath them and then the painstaking rhythm continued. She wanted to scream at him to lose it, to drive into her with everything he had, to make her scream in pleasure but she couldn't do anything, her mind not quite connecting with her lips and vocal cords. Speech had become a skill beyond her capabilities. Just as the heat built to a crescendo, he stopped, his hips still, his breathing firmly controlled, his lips still on hers, gently, teasingly. Sarah whimpered against him despite herself, everything once again tensed into almost painful contractions in preparation. How could she get him to continue?

She rolled her hips against his, desperate for the contact to continue, his hips rolled back slightly, almost removing himself from her. She stopped and pressed herself back, away from his lips and deeper into the bed so she could look at him. His eyes were closed, he was close too. She glanced sideways to where his hands were clenched into the sheets. If she moved just so, she could tip him over. He was distracted, thinking about something, or just trying not to come just yet. Sarah took her chance, pitching her weight against his, catching one of his arms so he slipped onto his shoulder and she rolled them. Jareth looked surprised from beneath her. Too busy trying to control himself he hadn't realised her plan until their positions were reversed.

Sarah planted her hands on his chest, pushing him down as she straddled his hips. He watched her curiously as she hovered over him, this time it was her controlling her breath. His hands fell on to her thighs, his eyes locked onto hers, curiosity gazed back at her, hand in hand with lust. This was her turn to control him. Fighting her instincts to slide onto him and ride him furiously she adopted the same tactics of careful control. She was that wet there was no need to guide him into her, he slipped back inside her easily. His fingers tightened momentarily on her thighs, as if urging her to speed up but Sarah held her nerve. He'd ripped two powerful orgasms from her body, she was going to make sure he had the same. Absently she wondered why his gloves were still on, but the thought passed as his full length was finally encased in her. The fullness making her moan despite herself, he twitched, a breath caught in anticipation but didn't move otherwise.

Carefully she rolled her hips forwards, slowly lifting, his eyes almost fluttered closed as she lowered herself at a different angle. She knew how to move to pleasure herself and the same spots seemed to affect him as well. All she had to do was keep her own rhythm, her own positions and he'd follow her. More movements, different directions, letting him feel every movement, every tingle of pleasure she tensed, and he twitched despite himself. She trailed her hands over her body, stroking luxuriously over her breasts, over her stomach and her hips. For a moment, her fingers brushed against his, still clamped onto her thighs, for support or grounding she didn't know. The powerplay was intoxicating to her, she upped her tempo and ran her fingers through her hair, down her throat lost to the sensation. Relishing the feeling of him allowing her to take what she wanted from him. His fingers briefly dug into her thighs, a sliver of pain that only heated the moment, his only way of grounding, of staying with her. She smiled at the control she had, the way he looked at her, filled with barely concealed lust. He wanted her to do this to him as much as she wanted him to, to torture and tease him. She groaned at the thought and moved out of rhythm by accident, her control slipping ever so slightly. His hands crept higher as she fought to stop the building wave.

The temptation was too great, quick as lighting he sat up, one hand on her hip, keeping her on him, the other wrapping about her waist and pulling her body to his. Her nipple was the perfect height for his lips, and he latched on greedily. Kissing, sucking, and teasing with tongue, teeth, and lips. Sarah moaned again, her hands landing on his shoulders as she rocked her hips against his. It was starting to overtake them both, his hand slipped from her hip, allowing her more movement. Instead his thumb pressed against the sensitive bundle of nerves between her thighs, with every forward rock she rubbed against it. She started to lose the rhythm, it was too much, she just wanted the fall now. He seemed to sense the exact moment and turned the tables once more as he rolled them over and pinned her beneath him. Without hesitation he pinned her wrists over her head as his thrusts became shallow and deep pushing her so far over the edge, she was sure she was lost. This time she screamed, the sound swallowed by his lips as he finished with one last thrust inside her, his own cry lost to her lips.

Silence fell eerily about the castle, an unnerving quiet. Two breaths, out of sync, were the only sounds of life. Nothing moved, nothing breathed but them. Outside the seasons began to change.

"Sarah?"

"Yes," she whispered back. Her voice was almost hoarse.

"Do you remember?"


End file.
